However, the Chinese government does not have the right to torture, murder, or repress the freedom of its citizens. It is wrong and the practice should stop.
From the US Declaration of Independence: That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
The Government in China has whatever rights are given to it by its people, no more, no less. So the government in China does indeed have the right to opress the Chinese, because there is no logical seperation of the Government of China and the Chinese citizen.
Without a recognized or enforced equivalent of the US Second Amendment in China, obviously the Chinese defending themselves from a corrupt government is harder, but certainly not impossible. A full popular revolt would be unstoppable.
Most Chinese I know, even those highly critical of the government, defend censorship in the name of social harmony. That is not the same view taken by the common US citizen for instance, but it is the Chinese view. We all view our freedoms and obligations of the government differently.
To give a third example on this point, India, a functioning democracy, employs great restrictions on freedom of speech and those are fully or nearly fully supported by the people of India. It is specifically illegal to make statements to cause social disharmony, and they have all kinds of restrictions on the use of the Indian Flag which would never fly in the US. Basically, they've outlawed being offended. In the US, the Supreme Court in a landmark flag burning case ruled specifically society cannot outlaw an act simply because the act itself is offensive to society. There was actually an article in an Indian newspaper around a month ago comparing the restrictions on the Indian flag with the US defense of Freedom of Expression (the context was someone was arrested for a Flag offense that in the US wouldn't even warrant notice - something like accidentally putting a drink on a Flag or something - my memory fails me a bit)
Different values. You can't judge China based on US values. What the government does is clearly acceptable to the people, who have the right to make that determination over their own lives. At such time the people do not support the government, the government will soon cease to exist.
