Yeah it feels like such a chauvinistic western perspective. The way he imagines China is surface level like the way western media portrays it: some kind of dreary surveillance state with no "freedom" to do or say anything. He even mentions a couple times "friends" he has in Hong Kong and Taiwan who he says are in trouble or something. It's very spooky sounding, especially considering a majority of people in Hong Kong seem to support being part of China.