Chinese communist officials are making major policy decisions and even public pronouncements that suggest unease about the potential for domestic political friction, China watchers say.

“I think he’s worried about his own domestic political standing,” former Australian defense ministry adviser Patrick Buchan said of Xi Jinping, the general secretary of the Chinese Communist Party. “Furthermore, what he’s worried about is any outbreak of a pro-democracy or anti-CCP sentiment, which further adds to fuel to his own domestic political [stress] in the party.”