Why China’s Economy Keeps Hitting the Same Dead End Under the CCP–No Matter Who’s in Power

Under the Chinese Communist Party, ‘a planned economy can’t keep up with the needs of a modern market,’ one expert said.

An anti-terror police officer patrols with his gun on Tiananmen Square on Nov. 8, 2013, in Beijing, China, part of the security in place for the Chinese Communist Partys the Third Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee. At the plenum, which meets from Nov. 9 to 12, significant reforms are expected to be introduced. Feng Li/Getty Images

News Analysis

China’s Fourth Plenum recently wrapped up with a familiar pledge: The next five-year plan will deliver “high-quality development” and “technological self-reliance” under even tighter Chinese Communist Party (CCP) control. Officials were told to brave “high winds, choppy waves, and even dangerous storms.”