this post was submitted on 16 Jan 2026
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Surveillance in China is no greater than in western countries, though, and the decisions made by the CPC are made through constant polling and consensus building. This is why a much larger portion of Chinese citizens support their system and believe it represents their interests:
It's still a centralized system, which is undemocratic. I agree that the majority of chinese citizens seems happy with how it works.
Who is doing this consensus building? Who decides what questions to poll?
Its surprising that you claim that the surveillance of chinese citizens by the CCP is on the same level as let's say Germany. Hard disagree. I thought the CCP is proud of the surveillance.
Centralization doesn't mean a lack of democratization, that's why socialist democracy centers cohesion and unity over endless fragmentation. In China, for example, local representatives are directly elected, and then these representatives elect from within them the higher rungs of government. The CPC itself has over 100 million members, has a presence in every major company, and thus has its finger firmly on the pulse of what people actually want.
Progress is slow but extremely stable, and as such China has been able to consistently outperform other countries when it comes to improving the lives of the citizens of China. The CPC conducts this polling, and you can see this in action when looking at how Five Year Plans are made. You can read more about this system in Roland Boer's Socialism in Power: On the History and Theory of Socialist Governance.
I don't see what you are saying by claiming Germany spies on its citizens less than China. Both Germany and China are better than Five Eyes countries, sure, but Germany absolutely is spying on its citizens, not to mention privatized spyware. China isn't "proud of the surveillance," I don't know what you mean by this in a way that makes it different from western surveillance.
Which states do you consider democratic?