While they conveniently ignore that despite China's attempts at restoring democracy, Hong Kong is still a de-facto British colonial territory. The handover was in name only.
Meritocracy is often used as a buzz word by neoliberals, but its not inherently a negative dog-whistling term. Capitalism's "meritocracy" is primarily through finances and exploitation.
Its arguable that China is more of a meritocracy than capitalist states, except meritocracy is about legitimate skill, intelligence, historical material analysis, speaking to and deriving public policy from the proletariat, and arguing your points.
I don't think you can fully or mostly blame world communist movements for being reliant on the USSR. The USSR and other communist movements always face an uphill battle against centuries of propaganda, imperialism, and oppression. It makes sense that the most theoretically and technologically advanced and well-supplied and financially well-off country to foot the bill in order to spread socialism, though I agree that in certain circumstances the USSR did constrain movements and leaders too tightly.
When I say "good" nationalism, I always mean as in the kind an exploitated socialist or anti-imperialist country has, to stand up against international bourgeoisie. I understand that nationalism is a double-edged sword.
I gotta heavily disagree with the idea of him being no different than any other nationalists.
He's said before that only the Han Chinese are "smart" enough to have a successful country as China, and he believes that "full communism" is just as bad as full capitalism. I will admit maybe his views have changed and I could be wrong, and he's definitely not pro US. But he is/was very homophobic, and the bad kind of nationalist.
There are a noticeable amount of Han chauvanists in China as well. The CPC and most of the Chinese population don't agree with them though, thankfully.
I don't think he is an Amerikkkan patsoc, but from my interactions with him, let's just say I wouldn't be against him receiving mental care and re-education at a Laogai.
As excellent as this article is, I've had multiple conversations with Captaincool07, and I think comrades should know that he is unfortunately a Han supremacist. I hate using that term since it sounds like its giving credit to liberals, but he really is. He thinks the CPC is more of a nationalist party than a socialist one, and he thinks Vladimir Putin is a "radical centrist", and that China's success is more due to nationalism than socialism, and he once said that he thinks that China should return to controlling 25-40 percent of the entire world's economy, rather than a multipolar one.
He's also vehemently homophobic and thinks that Mao's socialism "went too far".
Its been confirmed long ago that many CPSU members met with CIA agents.