Rise of China's middle class will not challenge Communist Party: state media
State media expounds Xi's 'four comprehensives' governing vision
The rise of China's middle class posed no challenge to the authority of the Communist Party, state media said yesterday as it continued its high-profile coverage of the "four comprehensives" political theory of President Xi Jinping.
On the second day of its efforts to disseminate Xi's governing vision for the country ahead of the nation's annual parliamentary session, the party's mouthpiece expounded the rationale behind the theory as: building a middle-class society, breaking up vested interest groups, restoring strong governance in accordance with laws, and eliminating the main risk to the party.
The "four comprehensives" theory refers to "comprehensively" building a moderately prosperous society, deepening reform, governing the country according to rule by law, and enforcing strict party discipline.
An article released through the mainland's popular mobile messaging app WeChat by the overseas edition of the newspaper said the middle class had become both an important force in maintaining social stability and a vital "rational" voice.
Societies without a middle class, such as those in the Middle East and Latin America, faced political crises and chaos, it said.
But the article emphasised that the rising middle class would not confront the party regime.
Instead, building a middle -class society would "only support the legitimacy of China's ruling party".
It said measures should be taken to ensure that the middle class became part of society's "mainstream".
The article also highlighted how the theory fitted in with Xi's reforms and campaigns.
The various central leading groups within the party - all chaired by Xi - were said to be serving the goal of "deepening reforms" by breaking up vested interest groups.
It added that improving the legal system and rule of law was crucial for modernisation, and that China's development would be strengthened by strict party discipline.
Meanwhile, published another editorial yesterday explaining the term "building the moderately prosperous society" by associating it with the "Chinese dream" - a term Xi coined shortly after he came to power.
The newspaper devoted a 2,000-character front-page editorial to the theory on Wednesday, which was also run by Xinhua and local party newspapers around the nation and featured by state broadcaster CCTV in its main news programme.
A total of five editorials will be published by the newspaper to expound Xi's new theory.
It is a tradition for party leaders to cement their political ideas into theories.
Xi's predecessor Hu Jintao introduced his "scientific outlook on development" as the party's guiding socio-economic principle.
Former president Jiang Zemin introduced his "three represents" theory, referring to social productive forces, cultural development and the fundamental interests of the majority, in 2000.
Both Hu and Jiang's theories are enshrined in the nation's constitution.
