Part Three

Part Three looks at how China's social tensions could threaten the growth the rest of the world is relying on.

Disputes over wages and working conditions in the factories of China's east coast have grabbed most of the headlines recently. But there are long-simmering problems as well.

How to crack down on corrupt officials? What to do for farmers unhappy about the compensation they receive - or not - for land taken for development?

All of these disputes underline a widening gap between China's rich and poor.

This programme examines China's leaders attempts to manage these growing conflicts and calls for political change - not for multi-party democracy, as some in the West advocate, but for a shift from a system of absolute Communist Party rule to one where individual rights are protected under law.