[bailoon]

> I'd rather be spied on by a western democracy than China.

Why? What has china done that's worse? Did they nuke a country? Wipe out entire races of people? Did those nasty chinese invade dozens of countries? There is nothing inherent in a western democracy that makes it good.

> Our intelligence agencies are out of control but there's still better mechanisms for reigning them in than China.

There are no mechanisms for controlling any intelligence agencies. All intelligence agencies around the world are state actors. No law applies to them. Ask the people the intelligence agencies murdered, drugged, experimented on, etc.

Unless you are chinese, you are far better off being "spied on" by the chinese than a western democracy because the chinese don't have any jurisdiction over you. This is all common sense. China isn't going to arrest you and put you in jail. A western democracy will though.

[philliphaydon]

> China isn't going to arrest you and put you in jail.

Unless you’re Chinese. Now that we know China has secret police stations all round the world.