Earlier quoted context omitted.
For things like this there isn't a "the U.S." there's groups of people, interest groups, political economy, political will, etc. If China were rapidly liberalizing and didn't have stains on their reputation like the HK protest lockdowns, minority subjugation, and horrible prison conditions it would be a lot harder to push any of these changes through. As it stands, democrats and republicans are both turning hawkish o…
When I say "the U.S.", I mean the current admin and associated groups. It is fairly evident that the U.S. is worried about China putting it in a position where it's not as easy/effective to go around the world, exploit foreign natural resources under false pretenses and sanction "non-compliant" nations to the brink. It has absolutely 0 to do with human rights and all to do with economic power. As for Chinese domestic…
There is a political theory that any transition from a repressive to an open society involves going through a risky zone of instability:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_J_Curve_(book)
Now if you consider that this involves a country of 1.5B people, and take into account past experience with radical political changes (e.g. the Cultural Revolution), it seems that even for the most enlightened political leadership, both domestic and foreign, there may not be any easy answers how to proceed.