Beyond Succession - China's Internal Security Challenges

China is undergoing a transitional period of rapid economic and social development. How this period is managed will have significant implications for the Chinese state concerning both her internal and external security. Whilst fundamentally resting upon progressing from a developing to a developed economy, this transition highlights deep issues and tensions affecting China – ranging from rising societal inequalities to various separatism threats to mounting individualism. Regardless of internal succession struggles within the CCP, it is critical to focus upon this multitude of (mounting) social and economic issues – particularly outside of the political realm – that China’s new leaders will have to face. Here we highlight three themes central to this transition – a search for internal stability; China’s multiple, interlocking internal issues; and the longevity, resilience and adaptability of the CCP – in order to assess their potential impact upon China’s domestic, and critically, external politics.