“No, Xi operates within system constraints”
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The comparison between Xi Jinping and Putin has intensified as China tightens control over tech, media, and dissent while pursuing aggressive foreign policy. Critics argue Xi's centralization of power, elimination of term limits, and crackdowns on civil liberties mirror Putin's authoritarian playbook. Supporters counter that Xi operates within China's one-party system and that geopolitical aggression doesn't equal domestic authoritarianism in the same way.