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The Non-State Sector and Democratisation in China

At the heart of our research into China is the expansion of the non-state sector, which acts as one of the main sources of growth in the Chinese economy, but which has an ambiguous and sometimes vulnerable, political position. Private entrepreneurs were only allowed to join the Communist Party in 2001. While they are granted significant economic freedoms they also work under implicit political restraints.

The Asia Programme is currently looking at the role of democratisation in Taiwan and the impact this might have on Mainland China, and on the ways in which the Chinese Communist Party is looking to adapt. In particular we are looking at the discourse the Party now uses in relation to democracy, and how the party is trying to experiment with consultation and inter-Party discussion. We are seeking, in particular, to address the question of whether the Party has a sustainable game plan for evolution towards a democracy (which is what is says it is trying to achieve in the coming decades) or whether it is paying lip service to the idea of democracy while attempting to prolong its monopoly on power. This question of political reform impacts on other areas of China's challenges from the creation of civil society, to the issue of the environment and China's energy needs.

Related Resources

China and Human Rights: Power to the People
The World Today
Dr Kerry Brown, August 2008

China and the Olympics: Expect the Unexpected
The World Today
Dr Kerry Brown, May 2008

China: Big Ifs
The World Today
Dr Kerry Brown, March 2008

Chinese Overseas Direct Investment - What Kind of Opportunity?
Working Paper
Dr Kerry Brown, January 2008

China's 17th Party Congress: Leadership, Not Policy
Briefing Note
Dr Kerry Brown, November 2007

Hong Kong Ten Years On: An Assessment of the Special Administrative Region
Briefing Paper
Dr Kerry Brown, October 2007

China and India: Cooperation and Competition
Briefing Paper
Dr Gareth Price, May 2007

Forthcoming and Past Events >>

Contact

For more information please contact Kerry Brown.

More information about Chatham House work on China and the EU >>