China’s Communist Party says it welcomes complaints

“Grim” is a word often used these days by officials responsible for handling petitions submitted by aggrieved citizens. They apply it to the task they face as the Communist Party prepares to convene a five-yearly congress later this year. The last thing they want is embittered people making a fuss as the party gets ready to reanoint its leader, Xi Jinping.

Imperial China had a tradition of allowing citizens to petition officials about injustices. The party has adopted it. The National Public Complaints and Proposals Administration—and numerous other offices—annually handle millions of letters, visits, calls and online submissions from people seeking redress for everything from unpaid wages to eviction from their homes. Mr Xi, though a ruthless suppressor of dissent, has called the petition system a “beneficial supplement to socialist democracy with Chinese characteristics”.