lThe People’s Republic of China prepares to celebrate its 75th anniversarymy birthday, tuesday 1Ahem October, in a paradoxical environment. The regime will congratulate itself on its successes and, in many ways, the people largely recognize its successes. Since Deng Xiaoping, in the early 1980s, put the country on the path of economic reforms to turn the page on the Maoist chaos, these have been at the center of the social contract between leaders and the population. The single party must give results, as would the head of a multinational closely followed by its shareholders.
And there are results all the time. Not a month goes by without a new TGV station opening in a remote canton, even though the country already has a high-speed rail network longer than the rest of the planet combined. China has three aircraft carriers and is building more; will send astronauts to the Moon in 2030.
Although it still suffers from pollution, it has managed to take advantage of most of the knowledge of the energy transition, from batteries to solar panels; It spares no effort to achieve autonomy in sectors as strategic as microchips. By the US government’s own admission, it is the only state that has both the project and the means to compete with the main world power.
These successes would make many countries pale. However, this same society is overwhelmed by a loss of faith in the future, the fear that it will not be better for the new generation than for the previous one. Youth unemployment stood at 18.8% in August, its highest level since the statistics stopped being published in the summer of 2023, after crossing 21% and then reappearing six months later, in a more favorable version.
The Chinese became the fourth nationality, after three others, all Latin American, to cross the terrible Darien jungle between Colombia and Panama to try to emigrate to the United States. Many rich people go into exile in Tokyo or Singapore, taking note of the times.
Xi Jinping and the example of the USSR
This evolution can be explained by three sequences. The first episode takes place in 2018. After six years in power, through purges and fighting corruption, Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Secretary Xi Jinping has already largely placed his men in the top of the state. He managed to lift the two-term presidential limit, although it was perceived as a safeguard to prevent the return of irrational power and guarantee a regular and supervised political game.
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