[Hounddog11]

If only this was limited to debtors and criminals. China uses these kind of pressures to suppress political dissent even among Chinese citizens living abroad - for example, Chinese students studying at foreign universities.

Here's one account:

> [W]hen I was a lecturer it was relatively common to go through an entire semester without a single criticism of the Chinese regime by Chinese students in front of their classmates. Occasionally, a courageous student would privately explain why. Students who voiced objections were monitored by their classmates and denounced to the home government. They in turn had representatives within the student bodies whose job it was to warn students about their activism and remind them of the consequences of dissent. By making sure the students knew they were being watched, the students would self-censor (as a minimum requirement) or defend China in whatever debate was taking place.

> In this way, the Chinese students provide something priceless to the cultivation of China’s national image—they make the regime appear to be popular at home. Ask a Chinese student (from the mainland) in public whether or not they approve of Chinese government policies, and you’re likely to get either a nervous and uncertain reply, and possibly a question about why a Westerner cares about Chinese affairs, or you’ll be provided with a vigorous defence of China’s reputation. This isn’t accidental. This is a product of deliberate, well considered policies, crafted by a dictatorship to subvert countervailing foreign policy initiatives.

https://archive.is/XucW7

[DiogenesKynikos]

It's not difficult at all to find Chinese people in China who criticize the government in private conversations about politics.

What's often shocking to Westerners, however, is that most people in and from China have a fairly positive view of their country. If you start telling them that China is a dystopian nightmare, yada yada, and they push back, it's because they actually don't agree with you, and may even be offended. If they're silent, it's most likely because they don't want to get into an argument with you. You don't have to invent stories about them fearing being reported to the authorities back home.