Okay. Yes, Kim Jong Un is a terrifying man-child. No one here is denying that.

To Americans, North Korea has become a synonym for misery under a hereditary dictatorship. For such a secretive nation, the country's name is thrown around vigorously; it has gotten to the point that the words "North Korea" has become a parody of what is actually a heart-wrenching existence for 25 million men, women, and children living there.

This very sensationalization of North Korea distracts us from the other Communist power in the Eastern Hemisphere: China.

And preoccupation of American minds is precisely what China wants.

You see, North Korea acts as a geographical and political buffer between China and the United States. Essentially, China is able to say "well, at least I'm not as bad as North Korea" as long as the terrible Kim Dynasty continues. However, the happenings in China are still, certainly, not good. So, let's learn a bit about this ginormous country, shall we?

China, officially the People's Republic of China is an authoritarian regime by means of the Communist Party. 20% of the people on this earth live there.

The powerful government is complexly intertwined with four branches: legislative, executive, judicial, and military. The nation possesses a leader; you probably have heard of this man: Xi Jinping, who heads their vital offices.

Xi Jinping is the...

5. Oh, and he is often called the "Paramount Leader."

Just to add a little pizzazz, I suppose.

As far as living conditions in China go, well... it is nuanced. Concerning a country with a history like China's, human repression is a highly polarizing topic, with the government telling one story, and civil rights associations maintaining another.

Nowadays, China is criticized by human rights activists for very generous exercise of the death penalty, (but I also live in Texas, so what can I say). China has a jarring lack of freedom of the press, speech (in Internet usage), and religion. Furthermore, they have no rule of law and no due process clause.

Unfortunately, this situation is digressing into even worse circumstances.

Structurally, the National People's Congress elects the President. However, the election exists only for appearance, therefore the government does not accomplish anything in order to please the will of the general population. More so, this year, Xi Jinping has dissolved his own term-limit, crowning himself emperor (possibly) for life! This is a huge deal if the exclamation point didn't clue you in on that.

Granted, pretty much anyone, including Jinping, is seen as "tame" in comparison to their previous bloodthirsty ruler, Mao Zedong.

Nonetheless, Jinping still promotes and utilizes violence by means of the state. For instance, Chinese human rights attorneys who take on cases related to government-sanctioned oppression are labeled as "enemies of the state" and usually face arrest and/or execution. The same situation occurs with honest journalists trying to report abuses to the international community. Ironically, the state officials themselves are not even safe. His anti-corruption project has led to the punishment of thousands of government members.

There is a reason that Jinping is clamping down on any form of expression and dissent. Given that the Chinese economy is finally slowing down after multiple decades of remarkable growth, he is insecure that public opinion is turning on him.

The Chinese government micromanages her own people, with plans to implement a "Social Credit Score" system based on many things, such as a person's level of charity work in his/her community. If your score gets too low, say if you're not volunteering enough, you are barred from buying plane tickets or utilizing the Internet! If this sounds like that one episode of 'Black Mirror' episode with the social media score for people, (called 'Nosedive'), it is because it *is* like that episode.

Living in Asia as a child gave me a foundational appreciation for the countries and people outside of America. Though China does not threaten or entertain us like North Korea does, it is still a massive nation, full of innocent people, that is seemingly heading towards more unethical practices.

We should give that reality the time of day in our minds.