Coinciding with a top Chinese military official giving nuclear secrets to the US, there has been a rumored coup attempt, lots of arrests and executions, the whole nine yards. Xi was tipped off a few hours beforehand apparently. Goes to show the power of intelligence agencies, even your joint chiefs of staff can’t pull off a coup without them. Truly the backbone of a regime.
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If you know what China society is really like, this is no great surprise. China is still tribal and corruption is rampant, all up and down society. It has long been a life goal for many Chinese to get on the government payroll and rake in graft and corruption for themselves and their family. I don't mean since the communists took over, either, I mean for thousands of years, since the dynastic periods.
I guarantee that all the shiny planes, ships, and tanks their military have are just show pieces. Their crews are ill trained, unmotivated, maintenance is shoddy, and corruption saps the logistical trail that is required for fighting modern warfare.
So China is no different than "liberal" "democracies" in Europe. NGOs, green funds, being able to set your own salary, etc. It's one giant grift to steal tax payer money.
No, but only because Europe doesn't even have the shiny planes, ships, etc. Except maybe Poland and Turkey if you count them as Europe
Different in theory? No. Different in degree? Oh hell yes. We really don't know what it is like to live in a society where to get anything done you have to slip the government a bribe. Italy comes closest when it comes to historically European powers, but even there, the difference is huge. Even Ukraine, as corrupt as it is, isn't as corrupt.
Name the amount of times you've literally had to bribe a police officer with cash-on-hand at a traffic stop.
I haven't ever done that.
That is the difference in corruption between the west and everywhere else. That shit is so normal they'd hold their hands out for the bribe.