Abstract
Since the mid-2010s, China has experienced scores of cross-regional protests by claim-making groups, despite the Xi regime’s tightening societal control. In this article, I examine this form of contention and differentiate three types of groups that make claims for rulemaking, rule-enforcement, and political reform. Then, I compare state responses to each type by focusing on three specific groups: veterans, investors, and leftist students. Instead of crushing all attempts at cross-regional mobilization, the regime has at times made concessions. It has been slow to resort to outright repression, especially when protesters have merely demanded policy change or enforcement. Although this repertoire of contention appears in only some of China’s many protests, it is becoming more widespread and in some cases impacts government policy.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Journal of Contemporary China |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 4 May 2022 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:This study was generously supported by the Research Postgraduate Studentship of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the Eurasia-Pacific Uninet Ernst Mach Grant, Austria. The author is grateful to Lianjiang Li, Xi Chen, and H. Christoph Steinhardt for their support at various stages of the study. Constructive comments from the editor-in-chief, Suisheng Zhao, and three anonymous reviewers are greatly appreciated. Guadalupe Holguin Alvidrez has provided excellent editing advice.
Publisher Copyright:
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