Chinese Communist Party’s grip on power is increasingly insecure

Chinese president Xi Jinping delivered his annual televised new year address on December 31, and commentators have been quick to share their interpretation. Some have emphasized Xi’s passing reference to Chinese reunification as a threat against Taiwan. Others have focused on Xi’s comments about China’s economy, framing them as a fearful reaction to Donald Trump’s reelection as US president.

However, these accounts miss the bigger picture. Xi’s new year address speaks to the increasing insecurity of the Chinese Communist party’s (CCP) grip on power. This insecurity is evident in how Xi’s comments, supported by the party’s control of Chinese media, attempted to gaslight the Chinese people.

The mainstay of Xi’s address concerned the economic success of China. He stressed that the Chinese economy is thriving, and explained that China’s total GDP is soon expected to surpass 130 trillion yuan ($17.7 trillion). This equates to a 4.9% increase in GDP over the course of the last 12 months.

Reports on Xi’s address in the Chinese media have taken this a step farther. China Daily, the official CCP-owned newspaper that is often used to communicate the party’s position to the Chinese people, praised Xi’s “heartening speech” and stressed the impressiveness of China’s “remarkable” growth rate. An article published on January 1 explained that other developed economies struggled to average rates of 1.5%.

Omitted from the positive economic commentary of Xi’s address is the reality that China’s economic growth has slowed, falling from 5.2% in 2023. Although a growth rate of 4.9% is impressive relative to other developed economies, it is disappointing within the context of Chinese economic growth. China achieved annual growth rates of over