1) it's part of the social contract. freedom of speech is relatively new phenomena, and the history of the US has shown both the upsides and downsides of that

1) it's part of the social contract. freedom of speech is relatively new phenomena, and the history of the US has shown both the upsides and downsides of that right. standing in a town square and criticizing the king/emperor/lord would have gotten you imprisoned or killed for most of human history, from the times of the Roman emperors to the monarchies of more recent times. modern chinese trade certain rights that many in the West would consider "unalienable" for the efficiency of a tightly ruled authoritarian government that has been seen as instrumental in bringing two decades of unprecedented growth / lifting 500M people out of poverty. 2) the very fact that china has 1.4B makes the existence of an authoritarian government much more easier to understand. without defending the actions of the PRC, from a purely utilitarian standpoint censorship and state control of the media allows for greater social cohesion and the avoidance of ideas and movements that can spread and cause mass hysteria. china is very aware of its own history of such movements and the havoc they've created (the Taiping Rebellion for a great example).