The Economist | Unrest in China: A dangerous year

Unrest in China
A dangerous year
Economic conditions and social media are making protests more common in China—at a delicate time for the country’s rulers

CHENGDU, DONGGUAN AND WUKAN VILLAGE

IN AN industrial zone near Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province in south-west China, a sign colourfully proclaims the sprawl of factories to be a “delightful, harmonious and happy district”. Angry steelworkers must have winced as they marched past the slogan in their thousands in early January, demanding higher wages. Their three-day strike was unusually large for an enterprise owned by the central government. But, as China’s economy begins to grow more sedately, more such unrest is looming.

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The Economist | China: China and the paradox of prosperity

China
China and the paradox of prosperity
For China’s rise to continue, the country needs to move away from the model that has served it so well

IN THIS issue we launch a weekly section devoted to China. It is the first time since we began our detailed coverage of the United States in 1942 that we have singled out a country in this way. The principal reason is that China is now an economic superpower and is fast becoming a military force capable of unsettling America. But our interest in China lies also in its politics: it is governed by a system that is out of step with global norms. In ways that were never true of post-war Japan and may never be true of India, China will both fascinate and agitate the rest of the world for a long time to come.

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