[untenured]

Naturally, to write a report like this all of the reporters have to be outside China itself, and correspondingly disconnected from Chinese reality. No one plugged into China would write a wishy-washy piece like this.

The reason China is cracking down on video games, and tutoring, and social media, and financing systems outside CCP’s control (the Ant Group and Tencent) has nothing to to with “the strains of urban life” or a touchy-feely fear that parents “are piling too much on their children.”

What all these crackdowns have in common is a CCP fear that somehow the Chinese people will develop networks independent of CCP control. The CCP leadership are dictatorial thieves.

When judging CCP behavior, simply assume that they decide based on what’s best for their corrupt monopoly on power. You will then do well in understanding China.

[alternatives?]

“When judging CCP behavior, simply assume that they decide based on what’s best for their corrupt monopoly on power. You will then do well in understanding China.”

Good point. You could also substitute “the establishment” for CCP and China and have another good point.

[ModelBreaker]

“When judging CCP behavior, simply assume that they decide based on what’s best for their corrupt monopoly on power. You will then do well in understanding China.”

That method works pretty well in the US also.