Its like Hillary walking into a working class kitchen for the first time.
They've been shielded from even critical support of China and other AES for so long they literally, not figuratively, literally cannot process that people exist that have beliefs that aren't Reddit Approved. They immediately assume it's bots or wumao. Human beings can't possibly hold these beliefs, so they must be Oriental hordes or actual robots.
I think the big signs of hope are the anti corruption campaigns that Xi took, and the fact that billionaires are still losing their wealth (and lives) quite regularly, and will smash any outspoken ones like Jack Ma as well
He's doing very well for the position he's been in
Unfortunately their foreign policy is mid, mostly constrained by US hegemony. To me a shift toward supporting socialism in other countries is what will really convince me, but they aren't there quite yet.
I think there are a lot of valid criticisms to make about China, but this take is ridiculous. China has only survived by taking reserved foreign policy, and it does support socialist states that are actually established like the DPRK, Cuba, and Vietnam (though that relationship is especially complicated). The DPRK would have collapsed with the USSR's dissolution had China not helped them.
That's all good and well, but to me, it reflects that the party has strong socialist ideological roots (of course it does, thanks to Mao), but "past performance does not indicate future returns" and there is still room for them to lib tf out instead of push for socialism. Xi is not an example of this, but his predecessors were liberal dweebs imo. My understanding is that we are lucky to have a Marxist in his position at all (kinda like how Corbyn slipped upward through the cracks due to some Labour infighting).
Im not concerned with Xi specifically, or the track they're on today, but if they ever achieve status as a hegemonic power, are they going to make the push for global socialism? I'm not convinced, but it's far from impossible. I definitely don't see them cracking down and becoming a great Satan 2 or anything, so it's all positive anyway.
yeah my dream is I wake up tomorrow to "China has invaded Russia to spread socialism" (/s nuclear holocaust and all that but I can dream)
"Russia nationalizes key industries in preparation to join an economic union with China, other BRICS countries expected to follow within the next 5 years"
I mean if we're going full fantasy land lets go all the way right? "Both Putin and Zelenskey assassinated in military coups, new juntas rumored to be mulling reformation of the USSR.
I'm down
Dream of it every night. I just want it back