Reasons and Effects of the Chinese Government's Strengthened Social Control: changes in China's power system 

Kim Kisoo 

(kskim@sejong.org) 

Senior Research Fellow, 

The Sejong Institute 

○ The Chinese authorities have strengthened social control over Chinese society this year—for the first time since Deng Xiaoping's reform

- After the Chinese economic reform, there was a level of control or adjustment of the Chinese economy. Particularly, the Chinese government’s level of control over private companies was a subject of continuous controversy. However, there was no visible strengthening of control over the economy or the society as a whole.

○ Currently, social control is concentrated in the area that has the biggest impact on the way Chinese think.

- The government's strengthening of control over big tech companies (large information technology companies) has been visible since the end of 2020. At first, it was considered the government's management of the economy and business sectors, but now it is recognized as part of social control because of its strong ideological influence over the Chinese public.

- Since mid-2021, the Chinese authorities have taken unprecedented actions to strengthen social control over individual lives and social customs. In other words, most of the Communist Party's highest values, ideology, and social activities that hinder the formation of discussions have begun to be controlled.

○ Despite Deng Xiaoping's establishment of elaborate management of power, China's failure to utilize and control power has led to the above phenomenon. This is because of the characteristics of China's political system. 

- China's power struggle, which has been visible since the end of the Hu Jintao administration, shows that factional harmony is impossible. Therefore, the current administration has no choice but to do its best to protect vested rights by maintaining and strengthening its current power in order to prevent others from gaining power and retaliating. As people seek all means of gaining power there is the recent strengthening of social control. All in all, this shows the contradiction of China's political system, which is bound to fail.

○  In the end, China as a whole will shrink due to strengthened social control over Chinese thought and daily activities. As a result, economic development is likely to stagnate or slow down. Scientific research and the development of new technologies, which require free thinking and activities, will particularly be hampered.

※ Translator’s note: This is a third party’s unofficial translation of the original paper that was written in Korean. All references should be made to the original paper.