Xi Tightens His Grip, and China’s Tech Giants Feel the Squeeze - The New York Times

Later in the article: "But in the United States, disagreements can be hammered out in court. China’s judiciary is controlled by the Communist Party. Making themselves useful to the government is often the price that Chinese firms must pay for regulatory and financial blessings — even for the very right to exist as a business."

"For the past decade or so, China has defied the truism that only free and open societies can innovate. Even as the Communist Party has kept an iron grip on politics and discourse, the country’s technology industry has grown to rival Silicon Valley’s in sophistication and ambition.

President Xi Jinping’s tilt toward strongman rule could put all that to the test.

As Mr. Xi starts his second term, the Chinese government, which once viewed the internet primarily as a threat to its stranglehold on information, is harnessing big tech companies’ capital and knowledge to realize its broader goals for the country."

Xi Tightens His Grip, and China’s Tech Giants Feel the Squeeze - The New York Times