> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.geopolitic.world/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Chinas full-spectrum policies
- URL: https://www.geopolitic.world/chinas-full-spectrum-policies/
- Published: 2023-03-10T22:53:02.000Z
- Updated: 2023-03-10T22:53:02.000Z
- Description: Promoting the light and ruling the dark
- Author: Holger Edquist
- Tags: Newsletter, #Migrated-1788189989500, #Import 2026-08-31 17:27

Looking at China’s policies can be a tricky thing for even the most interested observers. Getting it right of course has several important geopolitical and economic implications. Recognising some patterns will help in understanding what policies are here to stay.

China has a long history of promoting what I call full-spectrum policies. They are strong and lasting because they serve different but important parts of the spectrum. They promote the light and enable ruling the dark.

I will illustrate this with a few, but not a complete list, of examples. I call them the four C’s and the L.

Corruption - A policy of going after corrupt Chinese officials. This highly resonates with the Chinese public and also constitutes an ultimate power tool for Xi Jinping and the Chinese leadership. In a system where almost anyone can be blamed for corruption, it is very handy to be able to choose who stays and who goes.

Common prosperity - Again, this is a policy which lands well due to the equality and the economic benefits it has to a large part of the common population. It also has, so far unknown, implications for expanding the middle class and thereby enabling the dual circulation (dual-use circulation) economic strategy that will be very important for China in both safeguarding it from future sanctions, for example in a Taiwan contingency, and for securing future economic growth that will safeguard the CCP’s rule.

Culture - Promoting Chinese culture through movies and other means has been highly popular and is indicative of the strong force nationalism can play in unifying the sentiments of the public. It also gives the Chinese leadership a tool of undervalued importance in shaping views and actions of the Chinese people.

COVID - This is of course outdated but still relevant as an example. Promoting a zero-COVID policy highlighted the responsibility and the resolve of the CCP to even at great economic cost prioritise the lives of the Chinese people. Much underappreciated, it also gave the CCP some invaluable and under other circumstances impossible lessons regarding population control (this is an important subject that I can, in length, elaborate on at a later time).

Law - It sounds safe and equal and is highly popular, both foreign and domestic. Individuals and companies will feel a greater sense of security knowing that a system of the rule of law governs the rules of the game. This also in its formulation, sometimes very broad, constitutes a very handy tool for control.

There are other interesting examples that I could highlight in this context. Old, present and future policies will join this list.

**Expect any policy that can promote the light and rule the dark to be lasting and pushed hard.**

[Subscribe now](#/portal/signup)

*Update 2024-04-26: Updated the word continuance to contingency for clarity.*

*Update 2026-08-19: Corrected grammar and spelling (going through old posts using a new tool). The content of the text was not changed in any way.*