It analyses a number of key issues and challenges that characterise Chinese contemporary society, including. environmental issues, socioeconomic development, and issues related to regional differences and social inequalities.

The course also focuses on the human rights situation and developments in civil society, freedom of expression, the role of the media and digital development, as well as the emergence of a surveillance society. Domestic issues are analyses in a global context, with emphasis on China's global ambitions, global interlinkages, and foreign policy.