The Party in Chinese Private Business

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.