There is no black and white rule of law/rule by law countries. Only ones that tilt more to one or the other. So like China might be a 35 and the states might be a 65.
Yes, they are. There is a world of difference. In the West you normal people have so much power they do not even realise. You see that when you live outside it.
In the West there is a long History of institutions(like cities) that went against the abuses of the people in charge. You were a servant, you entered a city(burg) you became free, the city protected you. This happened for centuries. In China something like that happened at specific periods, but eventually the Emperor took all the power.
In China the Emperor or the Tzar in Russia could do anything. In Russia those that wanted freedom lost every single time. If a servant entered a city and the city did not deliver the fugitive, the Tzar will burn the city. The same happened with the Soviets. You want your own food? We will kill you all and send your children and wife to Siberia. Everybody else(not the Emperor) were servant. Now Xi or Putin are the new emperors, like Lenin, Stalin or Mao were.
I have lived in China as a privileged engineer/expatriate.
Basically most people have no idea what a country without rule of law(like China) is.
>If necessary anyone can be canceled.
Or you can cancel them. You consider yourself a victim, a nobody, but people can get public and get a million views and could do real damage to those in power.
you were also a privilege person in the West and oblivious to poorer people outside of larger cities as the people you saw in China being oblivious to poorer people living outside of larger cities. foreigners, no matter how privileged, hardly can live inside the safety bubbles you yourself lived in the west.
If necessary anyone can be canceled. Everybody is "guilty" but select few are prosecuted.
Therefore the real power belongs to those who decides what issues can be ignored.