Ian Bremmer, author of The J Curve, is penning a series of dispatches on China for Slate. Here's Bremmer on why Beijing has so far been able to stifle dissent:
National pride, resistance to the encroachments of Western popular culture, and a deepening mistrust of Western definitions of liberty and freedom are everywhere apparent. This is particularly true of many of the urban young people I encountered. Those under the age of 20 have lived their entire lives in an era of extraordinary growth. They're determined to see that growth continue far into the future. Many of them argue that any outside force that might sow social and political discord will pose direct challenges to a system from which they intend to prosper. Hence the welcome for a new Chinese law announced in September that forbids journalists from covering stories that might undermine Chinese stability and/or the ability of the central government to respond with emergency measures. The law effectively hands the leadership a blank check to control the media. I heard virtually no qualms about the idea from any of the Chinese I spoke with. On the contrary, most Chinese told me that these kinds of controls are necessary, a far cry from the anxious, weary acceptance - "We'll tolerate it because we're making money, but we don't like it" - that I've encountered in Hong Kong. The downside to all this is that if things go badly and the leadership pushes things too far, Beijing may begin to take more of the blame for a range of problems it might not be able to manage.
Translation: Things may get more than a little rough once people stop making money. Of course, if you are not one of the beneficiaries of the Chinese economy - or if you are one of those people who care about, you know, democracy and human rights - then you probably aren't too happy about the regime as is.