In what way is China becoming more democratic? Last time I heard, China doesn't have free elections and those that spoke against the government got jailed, beaten, or disappeared.
China has indeed gone through a number of phases of relative (relative being the key word) openness. Similar to the Krushchev thaw, subsequent re-tightening, and then re-loosening in the late Soviet era.
After the Mao era, things became increasingly unrestricted until the '89 crackdown. A second relative period of relatively lax censorship came in the new century. It has been tightening again since Xi came to power, but arguably still less strict and totalitarian than under Mao.
After the Mao era, things became increasingly unrestricted until the '89 crackdown. A second relative period of relatively lax censorship came in the new century. It has been tightening again since Xi came to power, but arguably still less strict and totalitarian than under Mao.