CLOSING CHINA.

The article examines China's political and economic trajectory, emphasizing the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) reversion to its Marxist-Leninist and Leninist roots after decades of economic opening and reform. It argues that despite periods of relative liberalization from 1979 to 2019, the CCP prioritizes social control, repression, and isolation to maintain power, drawing parallels to both imperial China's authoritarian traditions and the Soviet model. The piece highlights that economic slowdown and rising social demands have led to increased repression, with the CCP resisting democratic reforms to avoid chaos. It also discusses the CCP's historical and ideological efforts to frame its governance as a continuation of China's imperial legacy rather than a foreign communist import. The article concludes that while the CCP is likely to remain in power for the foreseeable future, ongoing repression may risk provoking instability.