China clearly has become more patrimonial and repressive during the past decade. Since taking power in 2012, Xi has appointed himself “chairman of everything,” helming all important committees and doing away with any semblance of collective rule. At the 2017 Party Congress, Xi Jinping Thought—a conscious echo of Mao Zedong Thought—was made part of the country’s guiding ideology. Indoctrination has become more pervasive at all levels of education and in nearly all facets of everyday life; individuals—even business titans and movie stars—who get crosswise with the great leader are simply
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