> "they" in the USA is much more democratic (though clearly it is not perfect) I thought the elected executives in all levels of the government have enormous p

> "they" in the USA is much more democratic (though clearly it is not perfect) I thought the elected executives in all levels of the government have enormous power over many aspects of the society. And for the most part, elected executives do operate independently under the framework of law, without directly involving democracy process. > "they" in the CCP is almost exclusively a small number of mostly unchecked elites such as Xi Same here, Xi was mostly appointed through some shadow power committee embedded inside the CCP higher power circle. After "elected", they also operate largely independently, within the structure of law. Of course, Chinese laws are obviously given more power to the government at all levels. But I feel so puzzled about people's idea that a few individuals can actually exert their will in so large a nation like China. That's simply beyond the human capability (both mental and physical).