There are legal exceptions for companies, but I don't think that extends to civilians. From what I understand, civilian use of VPN services is always illegal in china, but not heavily enforced. Every year or so, the government talks about enforcing it more, but then when all the foreigners are threatening to leave because of it, they back off.
You have to understand the relationship between Leadership and the Flock.
In america, there's this surface gloss of -democracy-, but any educated person could see, no such thing actually exists, because you can win a popular vote, and still lose the presidency.
So what's at the core of every nation.. the Oligarchs are at the core.
Because of the -earlier- ideals of starting a NEW nation, america can't put the democratic banner down.. But at no point in any nation's history has there been true democracy.
It simply can not exist in a human lead world.
Now, China is more direct about its policies due to its strong patriarchal attitude. It makes clear that there is the common folk, and there is the people in charge...
The veil used in China is communism, similar to democracy in that it promises that we're all in this together, and that everyone matters.
But again, it's a human society, and so here again we have Oligarchy.
