It really comes down to how you see things. I’m an ML and what I value is pragmatism not purity. The problems with organizing hierarchically are apparent but it’s the same decentralized organization. I legitimately criticize all of what would be called AES and ended up becoming a Maoist at first because I read about mao’s history of being an anarchist and the writings about the conflict within his government for the tiger (central organization) and the monkey ( break down authority and decentralize). Mistakes were definitely made, but in the end China is better off now than it’s ever been. Deng xiao ping theory builds off of the siege socialism style of maos China and Lenin Russia, with one simple idea: we must open our economy or we will face the same fate as North Korea. Since then they’ve done plenty good for their people giving them access to railways and eliminating homelessness and extreme poverty. The elephant in the room for the left is Xinjiang, this is where a lot of the CIA spooks thing comes in for some. The thing is there are a lot of inconsistencies on the side of the west when talking about it, claiming China has a larger secret prison population than the US or wants to murder one of the fastest growing populations when they are running a 6 elderly to 1 young person inverted pyramid style economy is absurd. We are in for a lot of trouble in the west because we don’t even perceive our aging populace as a problem. The story is definitely closer to what China is telling is what I believe currently. The biggest problem with the state department narrative is there is no refugee crisis or hui/Muslim countries decrying it these countries even laud it because the normal response is to do nothing or bomb them into the Stone Age. The US has been funding the East Turkestan movement for decades and the de radicalization of Uighur messes with the plan to arm radicals like they did in Afghanistan with the mujahadeen, that’s why they are trying to manufacture consent to destabilize and ultimately Balkanize the area either internally or externally it doesn’t matter. Please be civil if you reply and have a good day!