These psychological and social changes undermine
the legitimacy of authoritarian rule and
generate favorable conditions for democratization
in Asia—not only in Malaysia and Singapore,
where it will probably happen within a decade,
but in China itself, where both the decay of communist
rule and the rise of a middle-class society
are much more advanced than has generally been
appreciated. Without major political reforms, it is
unlikely that communist rule can survive in China
beyond Xi Jinping’s expected two five-year terms
as president. And in terms of the pressure for
political change, Vietnam is not all that far behind
China (particularly given South Vietnam’s earlier
experience with more pluralistic politics and more
capitalist economics).