Abstract. In 2019, China had to face serious trials, similar to which the country has not experienced in recent decades. The trade war with the United States has become part of a large-scale process of deteriorating relations with the West. Retardation of economic growth has become a source of additional anxiety related to the prospect of political instability amid worsening social welfare. An unprecedented challenge was the lengthy protests in Hong Kong, accompanied by acts of vandalism and violence.