Commentary
During the era of China’s economic reform and opening up to the world under Deng Xiaoping, the Chinese people accepted the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) rule. The principal reason was that the Chinese leadership secured its legitimacy through economic growth.
People’s living standards improved substantially, and they expected further improvements ahead. Hence they did not challenge the regime, as they understood that the price of doing so was high.
Under the Hu Jintao–Wen Jiabao administration, Beijing introduced a social security net, providing a basic living standard to the people, in an attempt to reduce the dissatisfaction with the widening gap between the rich and the poor. Authorities at the grassroots level also tried to quell public unrest. Meanwhile, the CCP leaders appealed for nationalism, enhancing their legitimacy by strengthening China’s international status and influence.
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