The CCP’s growth obsession masks a deliberate sacrifice of human security, says China expert.

Prominent China expert, Guoguang Wu, argues that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) prioritizes relentless economic expansion to sustain its legitimacy in the absence of ideological appeal or democratic accountability.

In a recent social media post, Wu draws on various sources to contend that this focus deliberately sidelines human security—individual rights, participation, and well-being—in favor of national and regime security.

He describes the regime as “constructivist,” crafting a narrow security concept that bolsters state strength while suppressing civil society involvement, especially in foreign-linked issues that risk criminalization. Referencing thinkers such as Bryan Mabee, Robert Bedeski, and environmental critic Patricia Adams (on censored discourse around projects like the Three Gorges Dam), Wu highlights how the CCP’s deep distrust of its own citizens preserves its monopoly on power—at the cost of genuine public safety and global human security norms.

Although the public is compromised, the CCP’s hold on power is strengthened; its apathy and inaction regarding human security concerns sacrificed for the sake of absolute control and to avert threats to its authority.