<< Pundits on the left (and occasionally on the right as well), often with overt admiration for the Chinese model of authoritarian state-directed crony capitalism.. >>
Previously (and accurately) known as …fascism. Not the new definition of fascism which now means …anything the Left doesn’t like.
China has a big Communist Party, which is its new Mandarin class. There are about 96 million members of the CCP, with about 70% men.
https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/chinese-communist-party
The point of the old Mandarin class, which you entered by passing tests of intellectual ability relating to the classics, is that if you provide a path to power and status for intellectuals, then you don’t have to worry about them organizing revolutions.
If you are a male CCP member, then you don’t have to worry about attracting female companionship.
The problem is that you have to make sure that the merit system is upheld. Once you have CCP members gaming the system to get their mediocre offspring in, then you have a problem.
Lol….I noticed that too!
The ChiComs discovered that fascism is a whole lot more profitable than communism. And that a politician is a whole lot cheaper than a fighter jet.