“Russia is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma”

― Winston S. Churchill, The Gathering Storm

If Churchill could say that about Russia, what would he say about China today? The link to the article below takes us on a journey into totalitarianism in its most perfected form. Using the tried-and-true methods of population control (secret police, informers, intimidation, etc.) and the worse applications of modern-day technology (millions of cameras, tracking of mandatory cell phones, etc.), China has become a state ruled by the whim and power of one man.

The article provides a glimpse into the tensions of being a subject of the Chinese Communist Party; it rules without a popular mandate and has imposed a regime of spying and intimidation on Chinese citizens around the world. How long can such a regime maintain its power? Who is there to stand up to the power of such a State? Finally, we must remember that the man at the very top of the totalitarian regime, China’s Xi has learned from the failures of the old Soviet Union and the Soviet bloc in terms of survival. Xi sees himself as a modern-day Mao, a man who instituted policies which lead to the deaths of millions of his own subjects. He realizes that there is no retreat from his pinnacle of power and if challenged there is little doubt that he would take actions which would make the ten-thousand dead of Tiananmen Square pale in comparison.

Being a subject of the CCP means always being vigilant.

https://quillette.com/2022/11/27/the-loneliness-of-the-bridge-man-generation/