And its measures to control its population, which range from well-paid human informants and sophisticated AI technology and a controversial social credit system, led one analyst to warn last night: “The CCP used George Orwell’s 1984 as an instruction manual”.
It is the latest indication that Xi Jinping fears a backlash as he grapples with a series of internal challenges which could ultimately see the ruling Chinese Communist Party unseated from power.
With tensions continuing to mount over Xi’s stated ambitions in Taiwan and the South China Sea, it is no surprise that China’s military spending has reached record levels of £175b (1.3 trillion Yuan).
While on paper this is still below the US’s £700b, low wages and procurement costs mean that, in reality, China is fast catching up in terms of fighting power.
But, according to the latest official figures, China is spending at least 7 percent more (1.4 trillion yuan) every year on what it euphemistically terms “public safety”.
The ministry of finance figures are thought to be an underestimation because Beijing no longer includes provincial spending in its national audits.
Much of the apparatus used across the country was tested in Xinjiang where, last week, a UN report finally confirmed long-standing allegations that China had been systematically abusing the province’s 12 million Uighurs Muslims.
While its concentration camps are not being replicated across the country, other measures, such as Ai emotion detector software – described as “advanced lie detectors” used to interrogate suspects – are.
Drones are regularly used to enforce lockdowns as China continues its “zero Covid” strategy.
In Hami, Xinjiang, one local directive which emerged last week showed how the population is forced to use QR codes to enter or leave, with strict curfews and a warning that all transgressors may be “shot on sight”.
Earlier this year Chinese authorities used technology on citizens peacefully protesting during a series of Bank runs in central China, who suddenly saw their obligatory Covid apps turn from green to red, indicating they may have Covid, forcing them home rather than face the consequences.
AI is now so sophisticated that it can delve into social media posts and remove not only offending posts but entire threads.
Xi’s grip on the population has increasingly tightened over the past five years.
The Social Credit System now scores every citizen for “trustworthiness” by punishing those who infringe the diktats and “rewarding” those who do not.
Examples of infractions include bad driving, smoking in non-smoking zones, buying too many video games, posting on social media and wasting money on frivolous purchases.
Punishments range from travel bans and access to good hotels to children being denied a place at university.
In the latest gambit to control behaviour, dating apps are even encouraging women – who outnumber men in China – to check a prospective partner’s social credit score.
Xi’s drive for a cashless society is said to be an important element in solidifying ultimate control.
More fundamental still is the “One file one person” system, which Xi has been rolling out over the last four years.
The system uses a blend of sophisticated AI and face recognition software to ensure that every individual can be identified and tracked in a real time, while simultaneously collating all data held pertaining to a person which is held by the government.
“Xi has been worried since 2014, which is why you have seen spending on so-called public safety superseded defence spending,” said Dean Cheng of the Heritage Foundation think tank.
“The CCP uses 1984 as an instruction manual. It starts with informants – you can’t chat in a supermarket line about how terrible things are going because you don’t know who is listening and even party officials are wary; it uses apps, communication, facial recognition and cellular technology and goes on to the social credit scheme and one person one file. It is beyond chilling.”
He added: “There is a huge bubbling cauldron of unrest currently percolating through the PRC.
“Though there is still economic growth. large chunks of the system are broken and there are many signals that Chinese aren’t as well off as they should be.
“We’ve seen rising unemployment, the elderly protesting about not getting their pensions, people protesting about cadmium being dumped into drinking water, real estate disruptions which affect middle classes, runs in local banks and rising food prices predating Covid -the thing that terrifies Xi more than anything is food shortages.
“He is aware of the prospect of a preference cascade – a domino effect of protests which suddenly rise in intensity, so the CCP is trying to put out our fires.
“But Xi’s measures will only increase his problems”