[nirv]

> Chinese government [...] gives tons of freedom for business owners to run wild

This claim is provably incorrect.

> Analysis of all 37.5 million registered firms in China reveals that 65% of the largest 1,000 private owners have direct equity ties with state owners […] The number of private owners with direct equity ties with the state almost tripled between 2000 and 2019, and those with indirect equity ties rose 50-fold.

> Provincial and local government officials in China enforce laws and control resources, such as land and loans, but these officials change positions every few years. […] Publicly listed firms increase perk spending (travel, dining, and entertainment) by an average of 3.6 million yuan (20%) when new local officials take charge. […] The results are consistent with the view that local officials are important gatekeepers and firms seek to influence them with perks and positions of power within SOEs.[1][2]

> China’s domestic politics have changed significantly over the past decade, with the top leadership enacting much more muscular policies to limit the power of large corporations while also deploying extensive measures to support firms, especially in key industries. According to Hsieh, this trend means that companies need to navigate the state’s “two strong hands,” one supportive and the other restrictive which aim to increase the party’s control over the economy even as the private sector continues, in one form or another, to grow. Moreover, political control is likely proving oppressive for companies as the party-state increasingly weights national security over economic growth. […] These findings […] suggest that not all government intervention in the economy is welcome by Chinese companies, especially if it comes with national security strings attached. The findings from the experiment suggest that state and party influence on private firms may have evolved to prioritize politics above economic growth, creating new challenges for companies that would naturally seek to maximize political support alongside autonomy.[3]

[1] https://sccei.fsi.stanford.edu/china-briefs/rise-state-conne...

[2] https://sccei.fsi.stanford.edu/china-briefs/how-do-chinas-fi...

[3] https://bigdatachina.csis.org/unpacking-linkages-between-the...

[gp90]

Thanks. I can't argue with facts. When I was commenting, what I had in mind were business like retail, manufacturing, and internet services, which somehow fiercely competed with the US companies and often won. That said, anecdotes are enough...

[gp90]

are *not enough...