China isn't bad, the CCP is.

That simplistic characterization is still essentially "China-bad." The CCP is the same government responsible for lifting historically unprecedented numbers of people out of abject poverty. Does it make up for other human rights violations? No. But "CCP bad" flattens a complex and powerful political organization into a fairy tale boogeyman.

> lifting historically unprecedented numbers of people out of abject poverty.

Basically true, but not much more than that for most Chinese. The urban modern success story presented to the world is a surprisingly small segment of a notably larger population and even for many in that smaller more fortunate segment the gravy days are long ago and no sign of returning yet.

https://eastasiaforum.org/2011/08/19/in-the-city-but-not-of-...

And chinese don't have full freedom of movement. China uses a system called called hukou which binds a persons rights and benefits to their birthplace. This has created a population of 350 million rural migrants who live in cities but still have a rural hukou and are treated like second class citizens in their own country.

https://borgenproject.org/chinas-hukou-system-restricts-mobi...

The worst part of the CCP is it's hatred for free speech

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jul/16/hong-kong-book...

Five arrested in Hong Kong bookstore raids in ‘seditious’ materials crackdown

Third round of arrests linked to independent bookshops widely regarded as clampdown on dissent in territory