Beijing has underlined its concern that an economic slowdown could lead to social unrest, with China’s security chief urging local officials to do more to prepare for the “negative effects of the market economy”.
Zhou Yongkang, a member of the politburo, told provincial officials that they needed to find better methods of “social management”, a euphemism that can include everything from better internet censorship and strategic policing of violent unrest to a better social safety net.
“It is an urgent task for us to think how to establish a social management system with Chinese characteristics to suit our socialist market economy,” he told a seminar. “Especially when facing the negative effects of the market economy, we still have not formed a complete mechanism for social management.” He urged officials to limit spending on vanity projects that spark public anger.