” Unlike the US, China has a media apparatus controlled by the state, so its military reports lack the transparency established by a free press.”
The author fundamentally misunderstands the operation of the press in the US. It is an arm of the DemocRAT party which exclusively acts to protect it and destroy it’s enemies, which are freedom loving patriotic Americans. Transparent press my @zz.
When a major premise in your argument is flawed like this, there can't be much hope for the validity of the article, no matter what the author is trying to show.