[grey-area]

See the recent very public humiliation of formerly very prominent ex-president Hu Jintao, the flip-flopping on Covid, or the fixation with Taiwan for how much power one man wields. This is a dictatorship.

As to unofficial disappearances, here's a short list of the most prominent, imprisoned and threatened for becoming popular and/or critical of the regime:

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/nov/19/china-disappea...

Many foreign companies have been threatened too - leading to Google for example leaving the country, Apple's supplier is currently under threat:

https://www.ft.com/content/e6abcb86-1c80-4914-ae54-c7df94d7a...

Finally, they also insert CCP members at board level in companies to control their direction directly: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/jul/25/china-business...

As to saying China is more efficient than France, France is a terrible example for efficiency, so that's a very low bar, but at least France isn't a dictatorship and has rule of law, I know where I'd feel safe investing.

[natmaka]

> prominent ex-president Hu Jintao > Covid > Taiwan

My point was only about business (relationship between companies and the gov).

> unofficial disappearances

Apart from Jack Ma (I proposed an explanation), this list isn't about business: artist, actor, Interpol chief, and "A Hong Kong-based publisher who specialised in sometimes gossipy books about China’s political elite".

> foreign companies have been threatened

Indeed, my point was only about Chinese entrepreneurs and bosses, sorry for having neglected to state it.

> they also insert CCP members at board level in companies to control their direction

"The party doesn’t habitually micromanage their day-to-day operations. The firms are largely still in charge of their basic business decisions"

Also: "But pressure from party committees to have a seat at the table when executives are making big calls on investment" may be in line with my hypothesis: the gov enforces respect of a strategy defined by all (AFAIK the Japanese MITI also acted this way).

My point isn't about the Party's ways to enforce the strategy of a sector but about the method used to define this strategy: it seems to me that it mainly is defined by companies' bosses.

There also is a real will to strictly control the political side of things, which may explain some actions, which aren't the usual way.

[grey-area]

If you want another business example how about the founder of Foxconn, made some pro Taiwan statements and running for president there, then suddenly gets investigated and inevitably will be found guilty.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67186745

'For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law'

China does not have rule of law, the law is used to intimidate rivals for power and applied very selectively. This is not just for people at the top, businesses at all levels feel this danger. It’s also not just for business people but anyone prominent. These are all hallmarks of a dictatorship.

[natmaka]

My point was not about the nature of the political regime but about it's ways towards businesses: does it emits strong directives on all accounts/levels?

My point is that, albeit there are perimeters strictly under its exclusive control (Taiwan being one, battles opposing Chinese individuals/companies being another), entrepreneurs and bosses are quite free to decide and to act.

Everything related to Taiwan is heavily politically loaded in China, this is one of the few taboos, and everyone knows it there.

[grey-area]

So as long as you don't cross any of the constantly shifting and entirely arbitrary red lines (Tiananmen, Tibet, Lockdown, Taiwan, Xi, any gov policy) you're safe?

This sort of behaviour and cooking the books by falsifying data is not compatible with foreign investment or a growing economy.

Now Xi (and unfortunately the rest of China with him) will reap the inevitable consequences of his policy shift from relatively open to a closed dictatorship.