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China’s Discourse and Policies Towards the Private Sector Under Xi Jinping: A Continuity or Change?

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  • Megha Shrivastava

    (*This article is a revised and updated version of an article presented at the 16th All India Conference of China Studies held at the University of Hyderabad.
    Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Institute of Social Sciences, Humanities and Arts, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (Institute of Eminence), Manipal, India. megha.shrivastava07@gmail.com; megha.shrivastava@learner.manipal.edu)

Abstract

This article examines whether China’s official discourse and policies towards the private sector under Xi Jinping are a significant departure from Xi’s predecessors or a tactical adjustment. The article highlights that though the academic debates on the Communist Party of China’s (CPC) policies towards the private sector received great attention, the evolving causes behind changing policies remain underexamined. This article adopts a comparative approach and underscores the policies and discourses shaping private sector development under Xi Jinping and his predecessors. It then highlights how a transformed approach is linked to the evolving nature of the CPC’s official discourse. The article finally examines how Xi Jinping’s policies towards the private sector are a renewed strategy towards China’s private sector development. In its analysis, the article lays special focus on China’s 2020 tech crackdown and argues that China’s experimentation with its technology enterprises is a part and parcel of a broader and evolving approach towards governing the private sector.

Suggested Citation

  • Megha Shrivastava, 2026. "China’s Discourse and Policies Towards the Private Sector Under Xi Jinping: A Continuity or Change?," China Report, , vol. 62(1), pages 75-98, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:chnrpt:v:62:y:2026:i:1:p:75-98
    DOI: 10.1177/00094455251367074
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Barry Naughton, 2007. "The Chinese Economy: Transitions and Growth," MIT Press Books, The MIT Press, edition 1, volume 1, number 0262640643, December.
    2. Nicholas R. Lardy, 2019. "The State Strikes Back: The End of Economic Reform in China?," Peterson Institute Press: All Books, Peterson Institute for International Economics, number 7373, July.
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