In several more words: because the Chinese government is simultaneously hyper authoritarian and EXTREMELY thin skinned about any criticism or gainsaying of the official narratives.
Are there authoritarian governments who aren’t thin skinned? As far as I know, power projection at every level is their usual mode of operations, as everything else could be seen as weakness by their followers.
In a word: authoritarianism.
In several more words: because the Chinese government is simultaneously hyper authoritarian and EXTREMELY thin skinned about any criticism or gainsaying of the official narratives.
Are there authoritarian governments who aren’t thin skinned? As far as I know, power projection at every level is their usual mode of operations, as everything else could be seen as weakness by their followers.