State media: China faces unrest in 2009

A state-run magazine has said that China "without doubt" will face a wave of protests and riots in 2009 due in part to rising unemployment among university graduates and migrant workers, Reuters reported. "In 2009, Chinese society may face even more conflicts and clashes that will test even more the governing abilities of all levels of the Party and the government," according to an article published Tuesday in Outlook Magazine, which is issued by the official Xinhua News Agency. The greatest risks for China will come from a surge of university graduates in a shrinking job market as well as from a wave of migrant laborers who have lost their jobs in the export sector. The article said there would be 7 million university and college graduates seeking jobs this year, while the government’s 2009 GDP growth target of 8% would create only 8 million jobs. The article warned that crushing protests could stoke antagonism between the people and the government.