CIDOB Opinion 684, published in June 2021, examines the evolution of China's political and economic power under the leadership of Xi Jinping. China, now recognized as the world's second-largest economy, has seen significant growth based on exports and initiatives such as the Belt and Road and the Silk Road, which have integrated many Asian, African, and Latin American countries into China's economic sphere without questioning their internal policies. This growth has been further reinforced through the provision of Chinese vaccines against COVID-19.
The report highlights that China's assertive display of military and political power during the celebration of the Communist Party of China's centennial at Tiananmen Square in Beijing reflects China's rise to global prominence. The main pillars of Xi Jinping's power include economic growth driven by exports, the Belt and Road Initiative, and the nationalistic pride of the Chinese people.
China's communist class, following the defeat of Chiang Kai-shek, believes that achieving the objective of building a strong state is essential for China's modernization and strength in the global concert. This involves creating a unified party-led state that can drive agricultural and industrial modernization while ensuring a minimum standard of living for its vast population (from 667 million in 1960 to 1.402 billion in 2020). Minorities like Tibetans and Uighurs, who live in impoverished areas but hold strategic locations such as the sources of China's three largest rivers, might become factors of instability and face repression.
The society of China is considered to have the traits of a capitalist system, where work has become a commodity, consumer society drives growth, and social stability is ensured by the accumulation of capital, political endogamy, and access to higher education. Jean-Louis Rocca, a professor at the Institute of Political Studies in Paris, notes that China has already adopted characteristics of a capitalist model within its socialist framework.
The report also discusses the pragmatic approach taken by Deng Xiaoping, which led to the principle "one country, two systems" for Hong Kong. This principle allows different economic systems, such as the move towards capitalism and market economies in southern cities, to coexist under a single socialist political system. Despite this, the report cautions against attempts to deviate from the goal of building a strong, modern, and powerful state in the global concert, emphasizing the importance of maintaining unity, stability, and avoiding corruption, dissidence, and deviations from the official line.
