Concluding Thoughts

If 2026 is indeed the Year of the Metal Rooster, what are some of the policies, issues, and actions for which the CCP could and should be held accountable? Here is a short list in no particular order:

Cultural genocide in East Turkmenistan and Tibet
Censorship and detention of dissidents, including human rights activists, journalists, and others
Suppression in Hong Kong under the 2020 National Security Law
Mass surveillance coupled with tight social controls
Continued closure and control of social media (the Great Firewall)
Accountability for COVID-19 and the associated draconian measures implemented
Continued state control over the economy, including insistence on Party leadership in private companies
Overcapacity problems that promote internal competition and deflation
Real estate and local government debt manipulation
Youth unemployment and future prospects
Aggression in the South China Sea
Threats and intimidation of neighboring states, especially military actions that violate international safety of navigation rules
Transnational repression, including harassment of overseas Chinese (especially critics of the CCP)
Unrestrained economic warfare against the United States and its allies
Belt-and-Road debt traps and other economic coercion
Continuation of mercantilist trade policies in violation of international agreements
Etc.

Accountability actions against the CCP are possible from many directions in 2026, including international institutions, domestic protests, various alliances motivated to correct egregious Chinese behavior, nongovernmental organization (NGO) actions, multinational corporation actions, and individual countries through direct actions, such as tariffs and denial of market access.

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