[nradov]

The third distinct category of governance in China has more in common with mafia crime families than with what most westerners think of as political parties or government bureaucracies. The mafia also has accountability of a sort, and processes for selecting leaders. They can be surprisingly responsive to local communities, as long as no one challenges their power. At the higher levels there is constant hidden maneuvering, and a fall from favor can be quickly fatal.

[FooBarWidget]

I disagree. I think it has more in common with the traditional Chinese imperial Confucianist meritocratic bureaucracy. In fact, this is corroborated by political science professor Daniel A. Bell: https://www.economist.com/open-future/2018/06/12/chinas-poli...

A mafia family does not work for the interest of those it "protects", nor do people approve of them. The Chinese government does work for the interest of its people, even if you don't agree with all of the ways they operate. It also enjoys very high levels of approval by its people. Apart from hearsay or informal street interviews [1], there are two researches that corroborate this [2][3].

As Kishore Mahbubani, ex-UN Security Council head, ex-Singapore diplomat, puts it: the CCP is more accurately described as the Chinese Civilization Party. Ultimately, they work to further the interest of Chinese civilization.

[1] Street interview: what does democracy mean to the Chinese? https://youtu.be/nl59t---30g

[2] https://ash.harvard.edu/files/ash/files/final_policy_brief_7...

[3] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/05/05/did-pande...