Monday, December 5, 2011

Chinese leaders uneasy about social unrest resulting from economic slowdown


BEIJING - Images of Greek demonstrators rioting over austerity measures and Occupy Wall Street protesters scuffling with police in the U.S. appear to be worrying China's communist leaders.
One of China's most senior officials has acknowledged that the souring global economy has the government on edge.According to an official New China News Agency report Saturday, China's top security chief warned provincial officials to brace for unrest if financial conditions continue to deteriorate.
Zhou Yongkang, a member of China's nine-person Politburo Standing Committee, said the country should focus on developing better "social management" - a euphemism for control aimed at stamping out opposition and demonstrations.
"Faced with the negative impact of the market economy, we still have not established a complete social management system," Zhou said. "How to establish a social management with Chinese characteristics to suit the socialistic market economic system in China is the most pressing task we face today."
Nothing is potentially more destabilizing to the government than a sustained financial crisis; the Communist Party has staked its credibility on delivering solid economic growth.
Read the rest at McClatchy
Chinese leaders fret about unrest as economy sours
By David Pierson | McClatchy Tribune newswire

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Their physical safety is not threatened, why should they worry? They also don't have to do the dirty work of beating and killing human beings.

Fretful fascists, how droll.