Global Youth Protests at Risk of Spreading to China
A slowing economy and rising inequality could erode the public’s trust in their government.
2019 was a year of protests.
Photographer: Anthony Wallace/AFP/Getty Images2019 will be remembered as a year of protests. Unrest erupted in Hong Kong, India, Chile, Iran, Spain, and many other countries around the globe.
But at least one country has conspicuously refused to join in the fray: Mainland China. There is always some background level of mass demonstration in the People’s Republic, and there have been a few reports of minor incidents, such as a demonstration against a construction project in Guangdong province in November. But overall, domestic opposition to the government of Chinese president Xi Jinping remains muted. The Edelman Trust Barometer, which measures the public’s trust in various institutions, ranked China the most trusting among all nations surveyed in 2019. The Hong Kong protests have evoked little sympathy on the mainland, at least overtly. And surveys find that most Chinese people are optimistic about their country’s future.