From Asia Times:
A century ago, communist parties were booming; these days, most languish. China’s is an exception, more so given that more and more people are enjoying the diversions of materialism thanks to a charging economy without the added benefits of free politics. Rising membership figures cannot easily be dismissed as propaganda and wishful thinking even though the party struggles to stop habitually fibbing.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) today has about 68 million members, 8 million more than in 1997, a 13% rise. That means the party has been adding members more than twice as fast as the population, which grew by only 5%.
These days a CCP membership card is coveted as being just the ticket in the race to get ahead, make a deal and build a fortune, because the party consolidates connections and peddles influence. [Full text]
