The Party in Chinese Private Business

Bibliographic Data

ID17811510
AuthorsKjeld Erik Brødsgaard (0000-0002-0277-5112, Copenhagen Business School, corresponding author), Kasper Ingeman Beck (0000-0001-9973-1046, Copenhagen Business School)
Year2026
Publication date2026-05-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Current Chinese Affairs (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1868-1026 • E-ISSN: 1868-4874
PublisherSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/18681026261445459
OpenAlexW7160052257
LanguageEN
References cited30

In the early first decade of the twenty-first century, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began reassessing its relationship with capitalism, notably with private entrepreneurs. Following the reassessment, the CCP embraced the private sector in a strategy of “co-optation” and private entrepreneurs joined the party in increasing numbers. From 2012, the new Xi administration pushed for stronger political allegiance from all enterprises, resulting in a shift from “state capitalism” to “party-state capitalism.” As a result, party cells within enterprises of all ownership types have surged. The article employs a two-pronged approach to investigate the intricate relationship between the party and private businesses under Xi Jinping. It examines policy documents and analyses four recent case studies from Guangdong province based on interviews and company documents. Our main finding is that while the push for party integration has been significant, the role and influence of party cells vary notably across private enterprises

Allegiance · Communism · Politics · Private business · Private sector · China's Ethnic Minorities and Relations · China's Socioeconomic Reforms and Governance · Hong Kong and Taiwan Politics

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