Xi has realized that social media have provided the Chinese people with an alternative channel to express their opinions.

But do local officials in far-away Chinese provinces listen to the president's warnings? As an old Chinese saying goes, "The hills are high, and the emperor is far away."

Chinese history is full of well-intentioned uprisings that went nowhere. A key theme in the aftermath of revolutions, from Britain in 1639 to France in 1789, is "plus ca change, plus la meme chose" ( the more everything changes, the more everything stays the same). For Chinese people who are highly practical, the absence of any obvious alternative to status quo is a strong argument against sudden change, pointing instead to something more considered and gradual.

Xi's mission is to invigorate the Party by meeting the aspirations of ordinary Chinese people. His call for the Party to understand and respect the needs of the people should be appreciated. No one can argue with his analysis that the Party depends on the people. Without the people, the Party obviously cannot exist.

Social media seem to have introduced a new political landscape to China. In this new world, the Party's wish to identify with the Chinese people prompts it to provide them with a stronger voice in Party policies.

And although the search for a new equilibrium in China that balances the power of the people with social stability and economic success may take many years, today we may be witnessing the early stages of a home-grown Chinese system of political representation. "Government of the people, by the people, for the people." Doesn't that sound familiar?

The author is a visiting professor at Guanghua School of Management, Peking University.

(China Daily 07/03/2013 page9)