The CCP first and foremost keeps control by keeping their people happy, and controlling the narrative in such a way that the people are happy.
Surveillance in China is a Damocle's sword at worst - hardly used in an enforcement capacity, transgressions (like using VPNs) are mostly ignored, and it's very easy to slip through the cracks. Everyone is breaking laws all the time - they're a tool only selectively used. Police will look the other way as long as you don't force their hand. Funnily enough you don't even need a surveillance state to create bullshit laws that you selectively enforce. They made a surveillance state... and don't really use it.
I'm more afraid of surveillance states in a western countries, because they have a much better track record of consequently enforcing laws as written. If they make it illegal to say bad things about the party and use encryption, you can be sure enforcement will go beyond just silently deleting your critical Facebook post and killing your SSH connection. They'll throw the book at you.
Surveillance in China is a Damocle's sword at worst - hardly used in an enforcement capacity, transgressions (like using VPNs) are mostly ignored, and it's very easy to slip through the cracks. Everyone is breaking laws all the time - they're a tool only selectively used. Police will look the other way as long as you don't force their hand. Funnily enough you don't even need a surveillance state to create bullshit laws that you selectively enforce. They made a surveillance state... and don't really use it.
I'm more afraid of surveillance states in a western countries, because they have a much better track record of consequently enforcing laws as written. If they make it illegal to say bad things about the party and use encryption, you can be sure enforcement will go beyond just silently deleting your critical Facebook post and killing your SSH connection. They'll throw the book at you.