How will China’s Communist Party manage challenges to its rule?
Protests and trade wars overshadow celebrations of 70 years of China’s Communist rule.
The founder of modern China once said: “A single spark can start a prairie fire.”
Seventy years since Mao Zedong established the Communist People’s Republic, China’s modern-day leaders want to contain the sparks potentially threatening their hold on power.
President Xi Jinping on Tuesday wore a traditional Mao suit to launch the celebrations with a large military parade in Beijing.
Xi warned against threats to national unity, and sent a message to the self-ruled island of Taiwan.
And in semi-autonomous Hong Kong, the government toned down celebrations as four months of anti-China protests turned violent.
Along with trade wars and territorial disputes, how will China manage these challenges?
Presenter: Folly Bah Thibault
Guests:
Einar Tangen – political analyst who advises the Chinese government on economic and development issues
Jean-Pierre Cabestan – professor at Hong Kong Baptist University and author of China Tomorrow: Democracy or Dictatorship
Gordon Chang – political analyst and author of The Coming Collapse of China