Why China Will Never Democratize

Ronny P. Sasmita reports for Public Discourse that China has achieved modernization and economic prosperity without adopting liberal democracy. This development challenges long-held modernization theories which suggested that economic growth and the rise of a middle class would inevitably lead to political liberalization and the rule of law.

While Western leaders previously assumed that global trade and investment would encourage Beijing to democratize, Sasmita notes that the Chinese Communist Party has instead strengthened its control. Under Xi Jinping, the country has implemented a system of digital totalitarian governance that combines artificial intelligence surveillance with centralized political structures. Despite becoming a technological superpower and the world's second largest economy, China has not moved toward pluralism.