China

GOV 39/4 2026-08-30 Original Social Norms, State Punishment, and Motivation Crowding in Anti‐Corruption Messaging: Experimental Evidence From China

CQ — pp. 1-18 2026-08-28 Original Subversive Amplification: Online Dissent and the Limits of Information Control in China Christian Göbel Abstract Abstract Intensified information control severely constrains digital contention in China, yet online mass events occasionally occur. Using a dataset of 274,721 Weibo messages, this study examines mobilization, coordination and grievance articulation during a two-day episode of online dissent in the aftermath of the 2022 Urumqi residential building fire, which preceded the White Paper protests. It argues that users were activated by public communication failures that transformed manifold grievances into outrage, and that the associated hashtags provided anchors to which criticism could be attached. In a process this study terms “subversive amplification,” concentrated engagement amplified the hashtags’ visibility, and with it the critical content attached to them. However, absent the unifying function of opinion leaders, grievance articulation remained fragmented and did not converge on unified demands. The case illustrates the inherent vulnerabilities of information control but also the conditions and limits of their exploitation.

PSJ 54/3 2026-08-28 Original Conditional Autonomy, Discursive Gatekeeping, and Patterns of Action: How Experts Influence Policy in China's One‐Party System

JCC — pp. 1-17 2026-08-27 Original Forgiving the Government: The Waning Effect of Citizen Grievances in China Jinfeng Wu, Yongshun Cai Abstract Public grievances do not automatically translate into collective or even individual resistance, but pent-up grievances threaten governments because they may trigger regime-challenging actions when opportunities arise. This study examines to what extent public grievances against state authorities may become pent up. Using a longitudinal survey in China, this article finds that public grievances against local state authorities reduce citizens’ trust in the political system, but citizen grievances may not become pent up. Instead, these grievances tend to be individualized in the sense that they neither last for a long time nor diffuse in society. Individualized grievances reduce political pressure because they do not constitute threats to social stability. However, whether these grievances will last if citizens re-encounter similar conflicts warrants further research.

JCC — pp. 1-17 2026-08-27 Original Embeddedness Under Fire: How Chinese Private Firms Navigate Conflict Risks in Northern Myanmar Yaolong Xian Abstract As one of Myanmar’s largest sources of foreign investment, China has been exposed to the civil war that intensified after the 2021 coup. Drawing on a mixed embeddedness perspective and interview-based fieldwork, this article examines how Chinese private firms operate in Myanmar’s conflict-affected regions without formal state protection or legal guarantees. It argues that their resilience rests on embedding commercial activity within fragmented governance. Institutionally, firms align with non-state armed authorities, adapt across shifting jurisdictions, and benefit from protective norms tied to Chinese identity. Socially, they mobilize ethnic and kinship ties, intermediaries, and localized information networks. These mechanisms, though costly and imperfect, convert unstable environments into workable orders. The article contributes to Global China scholarship by foregrounding private enterprises as adaptive actors in conflict settings.

JCC — pp. 1-14 2026-08-25 Original China’s Soft Power Projection in the Middle East—North Africa Jonathan Fulton, Shaojin Chai

PAR — 2026-08-19 Original To Add Insult to Injury: Exploring the Impact of Policy Inequity on Administrative Burden Yongzheng Yang, Qingqing Zhang, Peng Liu

JCC — pp. 1-15 2026-08-07 Original Patriotic Criminals: China’s Covert Netherworld in Southeast Asia and the Pacific Gregory Raymond, Graeme Smith

PMR — pp. 1-30 2026-08-07 Original Navigating the digital transformation: unravelling the dynamic evolution of smart city collaborative governance networks Guangdong Wu, Jiawen Li, Yanlu Zha

CQ — pp. 1-17 2026-08-05 Original Rising Engagement and Substantive Responsiveness: 13 Years of Online Petitioning in China Matt DeButts, Tongtong Zhang Abstract Abstract The Chinese government has invested heavily in online petition platforms to channel public grievances, yet systematic longitudinal evidence on citizen–state interactions within these venues remains limited. This research report presents nationwide evidence showing that both public participation and government responsiveness through e-petition institutions have increased markedly since Xi Jinping took office. Analysing more than four million citizen appeals submitted to the country’s largest online petition portal, Message Board for Leaders, from January 2011 to January 2024, we find a twelvefold rise in petition volume and a fivefold increase in users, largely driven by urban residents in eastern provinces. Appeals have also diversified, with notable growth in housing-related issues and more strategic appeals directed at Party secretaries. Meanwhile, local governments have raised response rates from 50 per cent to 98 per cent, shortened average wait times from 176 to 19 days, and increased the substantive resolution rate from 17 per cent to 31 per cent over the past decade.