China's Emerging Middle Class

An olive-shaped society with the middle class being the bulging middle is always more stable than a pyramid-shaped society with wealth polarization.

So said Yan Hao in an article titled China's Emerging Middle Class (Interpreting China's Development, Ed. Wang Gungwu and John Wong, World Scientific Publishing, 2007).

Yan said that from a political perspective, the growth of the Chinese middle class "serves obviously very well the Party and government goals of economic growth and social stability."

That's because the group is largely "supportive of and cooperative" with the Party and government, "being part of the establishment or major beneficiaries of the reform."

As a result, the middle class is unlikely to challenge "the autocratic power" of the Party and government even if it becomes stronger and larger.

Citing analysts, Yan noted that the Party is unable to secure the loyalty of the middle class through ideological indoctrination.

"It thus uses material perks and job opportunities in government and SOEs as political patronage. It is therefore unlikely that people inside the establishment will challenge something that they depend on for a living."

Even though the group is unlikely to challenge the authorities head-on, Yan said that this does not mean that they are opposed to any political reform in the course of modernization.

The middle class can be a key force that authorities can count on in its drive towards political reform, given the former's level of education, consciousness about their rights, financial independence, and worldly vision.

"The middle class can do an excellent job in promoting rule of law, good governance and civil society building in China, since the goal of political reform does not necessarily mean a Western style multi-party democracy."