[princekolt]

> China being the world's giant copy machine has worked very well for those in power in China.

Yes, but that's not OPs point, I think. What I think OP means is that the west doesn't have to worry (much) about China becoming the world's main innovation spot, because with censorship, the best they can do is copy. In a weird way, this is good for the western world.

[FabHK]

I think that's too optimistic. It seems to me that China manages to control the vast majority of the population. If you have technical expertise and perseverance, you can still circumvent the GFW (great firewall), install WhatsApp, etc., and I think you will continue to be able to - but most people in China don't.

(It's a bit like pirating music and movies in the west - you can still do it, but many people now use the legal options (iTunes, Netflix, ...), because it's just not worth the hassle.)

But the CCP doesn't care about a small elite knowing things.

OP contends that suppressing political discontent and censoring & controlling the communication of the vast majority of people will necessarily impede innovation and economic growth. That's not obvious to me at all, unfortunately.

[AmIFirstToThink]

The best they do is manufacture.

The kids growing now in West have lost ability to tinker.

If you are into electronics and manufacturing, China is like playground to experiment. In the west, we are losing rights to fix the gadgets we own.

[whooshee]

Come on, check out Nature Index and see CAS. Or you can see the FAST telescope project located in China. Why you are so pride about the west. Every civilization has their ups and downs. In Song dynasty, what the West was doing?