{"id":8266,"date":"2021-08-02T07:00:59","date_gmt":"2021-08-02T07:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/?p=8266"},"modified":"2025-05-08T09:44:45","modified_gmt":"2025-05-08T09:44:45","slug":"the-ccp-at-100-four-trends-that-will-define-the-next-decade","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/focus.cbbc.org\/the-ccp-at-100-four-trends-that-will-define-the-next-decade\/","title":{"rendered":"The CCP at 100: Four trends that will define the next decade"},"content":{"rendered":"

Improved state capacity, deeper commercial and financial links with the outside world, and online activism will have an important impact on Chinese politics in the coming years, while many trends point towards more, not less cooperation between China and western countries<\/h2>\n

On 1 July 2021, China\u2019s ruling Communist Party celebrated the 100th anniversary of its founding in 1921 in Shanghai\u2019s French Concession. The official festivities included a massive show titled \u2018Great Journey\u2019 held at Beijing\u2019s Olympic Stadium. The performance was attended by the Party\u2019s top brass \u2013 including Chinese President Xi Jinping \u2013 and featured hundreds of dancers re-enacting some of the key moments in the Party\u2019s history.<\/p>\n

But the centennial celebrations were not confined to China\u2019s political circles. The Party\u2019s media apparatus has been in overdrive to remind absolutely every one of the anniversary\u2019s significance. The event has even sparked a thriving market for CCP themed souvenirs and decorations.<\/p>\n

For China analysts, the Chinese government\u2019s commemoration of past glory offers an opportunity not only to look back at the turbulent \u2013 and often tragic \u2013 history of a Party which has been in power for 72 years of its existence but also to wonder how the future might look. In this update, Torsten Weller outlines four important trends and developments that may shape Chinese politics and policies in the coming decade.<\/p>\n

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Background<\/h4>\n

Communists steeped in Marx\u2019s concept of \u2018historic materialism\u2019 have traditionally been close followers of socio-economic macro trends and their political significance. It is therefore only fitting that we outline some key developments from the last decade and look at how they could shape China and its foreign relations in the near future.<\/p>\n

We will look at four major trends in the political, economic, business and social realms. On the political side, Beijing\u2019s growing reach into all walks of life and the improvement of China\u2019s state capacity is definitively the most important development of the last decade. Economically, the opening up of China\u2019s financial markets and the increasing importance of foreign capital in local debt markets is a second major development that is already shaping policy decisions worldwide. For businesses, the emergence of a truly innovative and competitive Chinese tech sector, and its expanding role abroad, is another important trend. Finally, the fragmentation and radicalisation of Chinese nationalism poses some challenges, not just for its foreign targets, but increasingly for China\u2019s leaders as well.<\/p>\n