| it is the party, not the country, that comes first | интересы партии, а не страны стоят на первом месте (CNN, 2020: The Chinese social contract: individuals are absolutely expendable if the stability of the party is at stake. Chinese authorities make a big point out of the country being a collective that pulls together in a crisis, unlike the individual-focused societies of the West, but ultimately people know that it is the party, not the country, that comes first. China's censorship apparatus is built on this principle. Anything that threatens the party, from open dissent to simply organizing outside of official structures – no matter how innocuous the topic – is not tolerated and must be erased. Alex_Odeychuk) |
