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Workers in an electronics factory work on exports for the United States and European Union.

its grip on the population. China is the world’s largest police state : Criticism of the Communist Party is not tolerated, censorship is rife, and the rights guaranteed to citizens in the constitution are all too frequently ignored. China’s appalling human rights record includes jailing journalists, limiting free speech, performing mass surveillance, imprisoning minorities, and disqualifying democracy inHong Kong andMacau, cities whose histories of colonialismhave left them withWestern government and law. Yet, for most Chinese, the omnipresence of the Communist Party is less important than everyday social concerns: what is happening on the latest smartphone app, how they can get a better job and makemoremoney, or whether they will be able to find a spouse and start a family.The philosophical ideals of Confucianism,which have guided most of Chinese history, venerate the family above all else and identify the need to have children and respect one’s elders. In the twenty-first century, Chinese traditions clash against modern processes: More women are choosing careers over family, more

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