In their January 2023 Journal of Democracy article, China’s Threat to Global Democracy, scholars Michael Beckley and Hal Brands explain that the Chinese Communist Party is fanatically working to corrupt and destabilize democracies worldwide ,not just to defend its own rule, but to make the world safe for autocracy.

Can you imagine a autocratic rule where a single leader or a tiny elite holds absolute, unchecked power,deciding laws, silencing critics, controlling the flow of information, and shaping every aspect of public life without meaningful accountability to the people?

https://www.journalofdemocracy.org/articles/chinas-threat-to-global-democracy/#:~:text=In%20*China's%20Threat%20to%20Global%20Democracy*%2C%20Michael,silence%20free%20speech%20far%20beyond%20its%20borders.

The story is based on a journal of democracy.org article

50 minutes ago, riclag said:

In their January 2023 Journal of Democracy article, China’s Threat to Global Democracy, scholars Michael Beckley and Hal Brands explain that the Chinese Communist Party is fanatically working to corrupt and destabilize democracies worldwide ,not just to defend its own rule, but to make the world safe for autocracy.

I found China more free than the UK.

And I could walk anywhere I wanted in total safety.

Far fewer rules to stop small business in China.

Far fewer rules to stop house building than the UK.

And the only diversity I found was me.

Everyone I encountered in China appeared to be happy.

Everyone I encountered in the UK was miserable.

2 hours ago, BritManToo said:

I found China more free than the UK.

And I could walk anywhere I wanted in total safety.

Far fewer rules to stop small business in China.

Far fewer rules to stop house building than the UK.

And the only diversity I found was me.

Everyone I encountered in China appeared to be happy.

Everyone I encountered in the UK was miserable.

thanks your take on practical freedoms in China (safety, fewer rules for business/housing, happier times) it is interesting compared to the article's big picture warnings about autocracy export.

I've never been to China or the UK myself, so I'm going off second hand stories and what people share here.

1 minute ago, riclag said:

thanks your take on practical freedoms in China (safety, fewer rules for business/housing, happier times) it is interesting compared to the article's big picture warnings about autocracy export.

I've never been to China or the UK myself, so I'm going off second hand stories and what people share here.

Yes, I've found the MSM China repression hate stories to be entirely wrong from my personal experience.

I would have believed those stories if I had never visited there.

5 hours ago, riclag said:

Can you imagine a autocratic rule where a single leader or a tiny elite holds absolute, unchecked power,deciding laws, silencing critics, controlling the flow of information, and shaping every aspect of public life without meaningful accountability to the people?

That's exactly the USA.

22 minutes ago, stevenl said:

That's exactly the USA.

And the UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany.

And the countries I mentioned are already delaying elections and removing opposition parties.

56 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

And the UK, Canada, Australia, France and Germany.

And the countries I mentioned are already delaying elections and removing opposition parties.

None of the countries you mention fit this profile.

"autocratic rule where a single leader or a tiny elite holds absolute, unchecked power,deciding laws, silencing critics, controlling the flow of information, and shaping every aspect of public life without meaningful accountability to the people?"

6 hours ago, riclag said:

Can you imagine a autocratic rule where a single leader or a tiny elite holds absolute, unchecked power,deciding laws, silencing critics, controlling the flow of information, and shaping every aspect of public life without meaningful accountability to the people?

Oh, geez!

Not another Trump rant thread!

6 hours ago, riclag said:

Chinese Communist Party is fanatically working to............

Hijack oil tankers?

Support genocide?

Double tap civilian shipwreck survivors?

Overthrow elected governments?

Kidnap foreign leaders?

Shield pedophiles?

Yep, they are the baddies.

I agree with the 2023 academic article, which has been supported by more recent research conducted by scholars in numerous countries.

China is actively involved in near global destabilisation programmes (as is Russia in western Europe), aimed at achieving maybe not "direct" control, but certainly a controlling "interest" over countries, especially in Africa and Asia.

China's Belt and Road Initiative is all about Chinese near global domination.

I remember reading an article about 25 years ago, where China proposed using nuclear bombs to help achieve a canal through the Kra Isthmus in southern Thailand. More recently, China has been a big supporter/backer of the planned road bridge across the Isthmus.

15 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

Hijack oil tankers?

Support genocide?

Double tap civilian shipwreck survivors?

Overthrow elected governments?

Kidnap foreign leaders?

Shield pedophiles?

Yep, they are the baddies.

You missed steal IceGreenland

Is China a Autocracy ?

Google ai overview:

"Yes, China is widely classified as an authoritarian, one-party state or autocracy, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) holding a total monopoly on political power. The system has evolved into what experts describe as "Autocracy 2.0" or "smart authoritarianism," which utilizes advanced technology, AI-powered surveillance, and economic incentives to manage information and ensure control".

1 minute ago, riclag said:

Is China a Autocracy ?

Google ai overview:

"Yes, China is widely classified as an authoritarian, one-party state or autocracy, with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) holding a total monopoly on political power. The system has evolved into what experts describe as "Autocracy 2.0" or "smart authoritarianism," which utilizes advanced technology, AI-powered surveillance, and economic incentives to manage information and ensure control".

OMG Get the Google Ai translation, it sounds so leftist . ie ;manipulation of words. "smart authoritarianism".

3 hours ago, JimHuaHin said:

I remember reading an article about 25 years ago, where China proposed using nuclear bombs to help achieve a canal through the Kra Isthmus in southern Thailand.

I googled that and got this result:

1. A declassified memorandum revealed a 1963 US plan to create an alternative to the Suez Canal.

2. It would have excavated more than 160 miles through Israel's Negev desert with nuclear bombs.

The US considered a proposal to use 520 nuclear bombs to carve out an alternative to the Suez Canal though Israel in the 1960s, according to a declassified memorandum.

https://www.businessinsider.com/us-planned-suez-canal-alternative-israel-blast-with-nuclear-bombs-1960s-2021-3?op=1

The real danger, though, is the current leader of the free world......

Washington CNN  — 

President Donald Trump has floated multiple times the idea of thwarting hurricanes headed for the US by bombing them, including by dropping nuclear bombs on hurricanes to disrupt their course, Axios reported Sunday, citing conversations with sources who heard Trump’s comments and were briefed on a National Security Council memo that recorded the comments.

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/08/26/politics/donald-trump-nuclear-bombs-hurricanes/

The site wrote that during a hurricane briefing, which occurred early into the first year of Trump's presidency, Trump allegedly said, "[Hurricanes] start forming off the coast of Africa, as they're moving across the Atlantic, we drop a bomb inside the eye of the hurricane and it disrupts it. Why can't we do that?"

"You could hear a gnat fart in that meeting," the source told Axios. "People were astonished. After the meeting ended, we thought, 'What the <deleted>? What do we do with this?'"

https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check-did-donald-trump-suggest-nuking-hurricanes-1535171

I like the idea of appointing a leader for life ,it sounds so autocratic, royal , dare I say King-ish.

Google ai overview:

"Yes, China's current leader, Xi Jinping, has effectively secured the ability to rule for life after the ruling Communist Party removed presidential term limits in 2018".

China, an autocracy! Who would have thought?

China is no threat to democracy.

China likes other countries to have democracies, it means those countries can only plan for a few short years, whereas China plans for decades.

4 hours ago, JBChiangRai said:

China is no threat to democracy.

China likes other countries to have democracies, it means those countries can only plan for a few short years, whereas China plans for decades.

You're entitled to your International opinion, I'll go with the FBI approach, that has spanned from administrations to administrations.

Google ai overview:

"Arguments surrounding whether China poses a threat to democracy are highly contested, with viewpoints ranging from characterizing the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a major threat to global democratic values to viewing its system primarily as an authoritarian model focused on domestic stability. The debate focuses on surveillance, economic power, and ideological influence".

"Undermining Institutions: The FBI and other reports indicate that China attempts to influence foreign lawmakers, academic institutions, and public opinion to favor its policies".

On 2/13/2026 at 6:47 AM, stevenl said:

That's exactly the USA.

So there is only 1 level of government in the USA now ? No supreme court or anything like that.

So all those times they struck down things that Trump wanted...and you applauded their decisions...they are what exactly ?

What utter delusion.

12 minutes ago, blaze master said:

So there is only 1 level of government in the USA now ? No supreme court or anything like that.

So all those times they struck down things that Trump wanted...and you applauded their decisions...they are what exactly ?

What utter delusion.

At this stage in global politics, I believe the international left has gone full supportive of communism, far beyond the common sense and free market institutions that once defined mainstream liberal or progressive thought, it doesn't get anymore far left than that.

43 minutes ago, riclag said:

At this stage in global politics, I believe the international left has gone full supportive of communism, far beyond the common sense and free market institutions that once defined mainstream liberal or progressive thought, it doesn't get anymore far left than that.

Last I checked there was still 3 levels of government in the USA. Or has the supreme court been abolished ?

On 2/13/2026 at 2:29 AM, BritManToo said:

I found China more free than the UK.

And I could walk anywhere I wanted in total safety.

Far fewer rules to stop small business in China.

Far fewer rules to stop house building than the UK.

And the only diversity I found was me.

Everyone I encountered in China appeared to be happy.

Everyone I encountered in the UK was miserable.

Can you vote for your leader in China?

On 2/13/2026 at 6:47 AM, stevenl said:

That's exactly the USA.

No, not at all.

1 minute ago, blaze master said:

Last I checked there was still 3 levels of government in the USA. Or has the supreme court been abolished ?

Thats right 3 with the SCOTUS leading the Judicial . Something the International far left wouldn't accept cause it goes against their autocracy rule.The party rules.

Google ai overview:

"The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would not accept a US Supreme Court (SCOTUS) system because its core principles of judicial independence, lifetime tenure, and power to overturn legislation contradict the CCP’s requirement for absolute, centralized party control over the judiciary. The CCP views courts as instruments of state power, whereas SCOTUS operates as a check on government".

9 hours ago, TedG said:

Can you vote for your leader in China?

Can you vote for your leader in the USA?

You could historically, but can you now? I'm not so sure.

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

Can you vote for your leader in the USA?

You could historically, but can you now? I'm not so sure.

The single party rule, President for life, basically elected by a body of party members ,a rubber stamp.

Does China Vote For Their President? - China Law in One Minute

China's President shall be elected or removed from office by the National People's Congress (NPC), not directly elected by the voters.

https://www.chinajusticeobserver.com/a/does-china-vote-for-their-president

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

Can you vote for your leader in the USA?

You could historically, but can you now? I'm not so sure.

Can you be more stupidly?

On 2/13/2026 at 10:31 PM, riclag said:

OMG Get the Google Ai translation, it sounds so leftist . ie ;manipulation of words. "smart authoritarianism".

Just more gaslighting / Newspeak from the devil muppets.

Makes it sound all cuddly and nice.

I used to feel that way about China, but that was before Trump 2 came along, now that very same thing seems to apply to the US, and any organization that has anything to do with the US criticizing China at this point seems like false rhetoric ,and a desperate attempt to claim credibility.

What's happened is that Trump's ridiculous tariffs and his war on globalization and our allies has forced dozens upon dozens of countries towards China, and the man has been a wet dream for Xi and has made BRICS into a powerful force, with 30 more nations awaiting membership, including Thailand.

There's no doubt in my mind of the eventuality that China will prevail over the US. Trump has virtually assured that.

Mr. Trump is taking a wrecking ball to the pillars of American power and innovation. His tariffs are endangering U.S. companies’ access to global markets and supply chains. He is slashing public research funding and gutting our universities, pushing talented researchers to consider leaving for other countries. He wants to roll back programs for technologies like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing and is wiping out American soft power in large swaths of the globe.

China’s trajectory couldn’t be more different. It already leads global production in multiple industries — steel, aluminum, shipbuilding, batteries, solar power, electric vehicles, wind turbines, drones, 5G equipment, consumer electronics, active pharmaceutical ingredients and bullet trains. It is projected to account for 45 percent — nearly half — of global manufacturing by 2030. Beijing is also laser-focused on winning the future: In March it announced a $138 billion national venture capital fund that will make long-term investments in cutting-edge technologies such as quantum computing and robotics, and increased its budget for public research and development.

Mr. Trump’s blinkered obsession with short-term Band-Aids like tariffs, while actively undermining what makes America strong, will only hasten the onset of a Chinese-dominated world.

If each nation’s current trajectory holds, China will likely end up completely dominating high-end manufacturing, from cars and chips to M.R.I. machines and commercial jets. The battle for A.I. supremacy will be fought not between the United States and China but between high-tech Chinese cities like Shenzhen and Hangzhou.