So you keep saying - and I keep telling you that I live and work in China since 2000.
Anyone can communicate freely via the internet or telephone to and from China - see myself on this site, and I do not use a VPN.
That you are a "reactionary" foreigner, who naturally took up contact and was only given access by Chinese people who might dislike the CPC or China's present President Xi is understood.
There are certain policies enacted by Xi, which I personally dislike or find unfavorable for China's image - however in an overall assessment, Xi has done and is doing a far better job then his predecessors. Deng's job was to open the Chinese market - it wasn't his job nor priority to put an end to the thus rising corruption and social income gap - that is Xi's job - thus he faces lots of opposition amongst the "new wealthy" Chinese, that naturally oppose Xi's wealth distribution program.
That the Tienanmen issue is suppressed in China or rather sidelined is understood - since the "Countrywide uprising" was a workers uprising in view of State companies being privatized (Deng's reform program) and workers being rightfully enraged about the outlook of loosing their jobs and the extreme corruption involving CPC party boys, that went with it. This workers uprising upon being calmed down, was then instrumented by Students (naturally supported by Western governments) into a supposed "cry for democracy" issue.
Whilst the true issue was that Hu (a pro Western democracy proponent) had been ousted by Zhao in 1987 - and upon Hu's death in April 1989 - radical student wings took it as a reason to divert the workers strike in June, into "their" pro-democracy protest.
China and the CPC until today is certainly not proud that they had to use military force to subdue it - since they totally lacked a capable - trained Police-force (not to mention a non existent Riot-police) to counter the radical student wings that used force and extreme violence against the unarmed Police units stationed in Beijing. The shear amount of destroyed military vehicles by those radical student wings - clearly documented their "will/readiness" for violence.
BTW - anyone who uses the term CCP only shows that he knows nothing about China, and is solely interested to spread bull about China and the CPC.
I would normally ignore your last petty criticism that “CPC” is “correct” and “CCP” is “incorrect.” But your argument that my casual American use of “CCP” (the most natural and recognized American abbreviation) shows that I am “solely interested to spread bull about China and the CPC” … is totally unworthy nonsense.
On to more serious matters …
Of course like Westerners or EurAsians or other Asians traveling, working or living in China, the Chinese themselves have many differences of opinion about Communist Party policies and its “cult of personality” leader XiJinping.
Even the Communist Party itself is not homogeneous, though one would never know that just looking at its conferences or press releases. For Americans in the past I have often emphasized the importance of looking at the CPC in context — e.g. see my 2020 OP on “The Communist Party of China and the Idea of Evil”:
The Communist Party of China and the Idea of `Evil’
In any case your disagreements hardly seem surprising or extraordinary to me, considering everything.
In fact, for years before I traveled to the USSR (I happened to visit during the terrible crisis at Chernobyl in 1986) and afterwards too I strongly defended the “historical gains of the USSR” and even once had high (sadly mistaken) hopes for its future. Before moving to China (and marrying there) I felt much the same way about it. Back then I often found myself defending the “CPC leadership” against shallow criticisms, emphasizing its positive role in fulfilling necessary historical tasks, uniting the country, raising standards of living, etc.
By pointing out retrogression in political freedoms in China under XiJinping I am not blindly criticizing or condemning China or the CPC because I am “a Western reactionary.” Quite the opposite. I am defending the rights of the Chinese people to a better future.
During the Covid Crisis, for example, I defended both the regime’s early successes and later noted obvious bureaucratic abuses in dealing with what initially seemed an enormous threat to the whole of Chinese society. The Chinese people of course finally managed to
force XiJinping to change his too-long maintained “zero tolerance” policy. On Taiwan, too, I have tried to educate fellow Americans about the danger of treating it as an internationally recognized independent sovereign state. It is not that and certainly should not be treated like Ukraine.
There is no doubt that Chinese traditional culture, much of which was wiped out before or during the Cultural Revolution, and Chinese social discipline in general has many positive features and results — for example in encouraging study & hard work, civic consciousness and keeping cities free of violent crime. We can see these expressed also, and arguably much more fully,
in Taiwan. In my opinion, critical problems remain in China’s political culture and life.
Of course China, unlike the old Soviet Union and Warsaw Pact, is not based on a planned economy superimposed on huge historically distinct nations with different aspirations, so there are probably more reasons to hope for its survival, eventual reform, and positive development, compared to the USSR.
As for the internet, when I was living there the use of a working VPN to get around the Great Firewall was almost a necessity for an educated political person. International access for English speakers was thus almost always different and less controlled then for ordinary Chinese speakers.
I know for a fact “censorship” and internal policing & security is far more prevalent today than when I was living there. There is no fully safe way to express dissident opinions for ordinary working people in the People’s Republic of China.
I also know many ordinary Chinese working people
fear and thus simply completely
avoid expressing their real opinions publicly. Of course I do not know about your own situation, nor exactly why you seem to have freedoms not available to many others. Just being a long-time foreign resident who organizes trade or similar work in China & who generally expresses agreement with the CPC may well insulate you. I trust you are telling the truth about not using a VPN, but of course there are other methods I’m not savvy enough to discuss — using SSH connections to computers outside China, business servers, etc.
I would not accuse you of being dishonest here or doing anything inappropriate at all. When I was in China, unlike most Westerners I basically abandoned using VPNs and the internet to try to stay well informed about what was occurring outside, settling for reading Chinese-controlled media, while concentrating on trying to immerse myself in everyday Chinese life.
I think I understand your views. After all the U.S. in particular has many social problems, especially right now. My country has followed many wrong policies internationally that have brought destruction to other countries … in pursuing its own narrow interests. Also, I recognize fully that probably the great majority of Chinese — being “patriotic” — would agree to one extent or another with most of your views.
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