Communism is built on lying to the population of serfs under your control. That was the biggest eye opener to the Russians when the Soviet Union collapsed. They realized how everything they had been told by their leaders were lies. I have a few Russian friends who are still pissed off about the lies they were told. The Chinese government is a giant propaganda machine. Kind of like CNN, but with guns to shoot those who don't lap up the lies and step in line. The Hong Kong protests were a good example of how they respond to even small cracks in their propaganda machine.