An obsession with control is making China weaker but more dangerous
The Communist Party’s five-yearly congress will further tighten one man’s grip
It will be an orderly affair. From October 16th the grandees of China’s Communist Party will gather in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing for their five-yearly congress. Not a teacup will be out of place; not a whisper of protest will be audible. The Communist Party has always been obsessed with control. But under President Xi Jinping that obsession has deepened. After three decades of opening and reform under previous leaders, China has in many ways become more closed and autocratic under Mr Xi. Surveillance has broadened. Censorship has stiffened. Party cells flex their muscles in private firms. Preserving the party’s grip on power trumps any other consideration.
This article appeared in the Leaders section of the print edition under the headline “A new chapter”
Leaders October 15th 2022
From the October 15th 2022 edition
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