Fair. Though, people that are advocating for the continuation of Zero covid, harsh crack downs on protesters, etc... are secretly anti-China. Someone here recently said China should impose zero covid forever, and china should just nationalize foreign companies if they ever decide to leave china. I doubt these people want what's best for china.
Most Chinese are not pushing for western style management of covid or western style democracy. But as Chinese people become richer, they are going to demand more freedom, more say in how they are governed. Just providing economic growth won't be enough.
There is not really any point in keeping covid out once its endemic. And currently there are cases in the 40 000s, with the grand total deaths of... 1. A 87 year old with multiple morbidities.
China would never nationalize international companies. But if a company follows the dictatorial policies from any country where the Chinese people have no say, then they are not an international company but an extension of said enemy country's government. Why should the enemies of China be allowed to keep assets freely in the international sphere?
China will respect property rights as much or as little as the West respects our property rights. Then we see from there if it is needed to nationalize or freeze their assets.
Indeed as China becomes richer, people demand more freedom, in the form of rejecting Western style oligarchy. And the government answers with a wide ranging anti corruption campaign, showing that they are still on the side of freedom.
"The people" always had the ultimate say through their direct election to the national congress. The political experts execute the day to day policies but the goals of the experts are set by consulting the people.
So therefore when it was the will of the majority that we do everything to keep the most dangerous covid strains out of the country, it was done so, without caring about what elites or interest groups want. And now, if it is the will of the majority to start laying the groundworks for vastly lethality weakened covid strains to become endemic, then it will happen.
Chinese never cared much about economic growth on any significant scale. They stuck with the Deng and Mao era where the only major things that were modern was education and technology, while the people lived in fairly austere conditions.
What they want is ability to make their voice heard, ability to feel like they have a collective that got their backs no matter if things are going good or bad. As long as the communist movement stands for these points, they will last forever.
