Maintaining Social Stability

Posted on 12 March 2009.

In January, China's exports were down 17.5% from a year earlier, marking the biggest drop in more than 10 years. Imports were down 43.1%. "The numbers are terrible. The environment is awful," said Ken Peng, an economist at Citigroup. "The pressure on unemployment will be huge" (BBC).

Twenty million migrant workers are believed to have already lost their jobs because of the economic downturn. A survey carried out in 15 provinces suggests around 15% of the total migrant labour pool is now unemployed. Nearly 70% of multinational companies in China plan to cut recruitment this year, and more than a quarter have laid off staff already, according to another survey. In the light of the economic downturn, China’s authorities have one major concern – maintaining social stability.

China’s leadership “has issued repeated warnings that legions of idle rural workers gathered in the country's struggling export hubs could pose a threat to the social stability.” A senior Guangdong province police official has warned of a "grim" public security outlook, saying that ranks of jobless workers could be "tempted by crime and become a factor of instability." Across China there have been a number of clashes between police and unpaid workers locked out of failed factories in recent months. Authorities needed to guard against "hostile forces within and outside China using the difficulties of some enterprises to infiltrate and bring trouble to rural migrant workers," said Sun Chunlan, vice-chairman of the All-China Federation of Trade Unions. (Reuters)

According to a recent article in the People’s Daily, the police have been encouraged to keep a low profile in cases of social unrest. In the first instance, officials should seek to mediate with protesters. "Police will not be called in unless there are extreme cases of violence, such as beating, looting and arson," according to a senior Beijing official. He urged government officials “to come forward to reason with the public and properly explain things in cases of social unrest, instead of sending for the police.” Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu has reiterated this aim and called for “continued exercise of caution in the use of police forces, police instruments and weapons and compulsory measures.”

Pray for the growing millions of unemployed across China. Pray that they might not be “tempted by crime” but might be able to make provision for their families in more constructive ways.

Pray for officials called in to mediate during protests. May they have great wisdom and find productive ways to solve the problems people are facing.

Pray that the police might exercise restraint in dealing with protesters and that those protesting might hold back from resorting to violence. Pray that peaceful and helpful ways forward might be found for all concerned.