[throwaway2048]

China was never really a totalitarian dictatorship under Mao either, he mostly got forced out of power by the rest of the communist party in 1959 after his great leap forward reforms resulted in millions dying. He never really regained power except in a sort of spiritual sense. There is a lot of complex political history in communist China.

Its most certainly incorrect to compare Mao with Xi.

[ArchTypical]

> Totalitarianism is a political concept that defines a mode of government, which prohibits opposition parties, restricts individual opposition to the state and its claims, and exercises an extremely high degree of control over public and private life

He was unabashedly and indisputably, totalitarian. The fact that he lost power eventually, is irrelevant. Every type of leader, eventually, loses power.

[throwaway2048]

The key term was dictatorship, not totalitarian, China under the communist party has always been totalitarian.

You don't need a dictatorship for horrific things to occur.