Series: China: Change Or Crisis

China's foreign policy has appeared increasingly assertive recently. What isn't clear is whether this is part of a coherent plan or just an outgrowth of China's increasing stature in Asia and beyond.

Something dark lies nestled inside a bucolic Shanghai park: a quaint cottage that is actually a secret detention center, known as a "black jail." Researchers say thousands of Chinese are detained each year in this draconian system of jails the state says doesn't exist.

China's economic growth has been spectacular for three decades. But now it's slowing and there's a growing debate about the need to revamp a system that's been built on major infrastructure projects at home and low-cost goods for export.

China spares no effort or expense to suppress individuals and groups that dare to raise grievances. From the government's perspective, this pervasive security system has maintained order. But is it undermining long-term stability?

As China approaches a once-in-a-decade leadership transition, fissures in the country's political system are deepening. A scandal involving a top official has left the party reeling, and calls for reforms are mounting steadily. Critics say the communists of today have become what they once opposed.