This doesn't really change anon's point.
The fact is that force is what maintains a government's authority and the stability of it is related to confidence in its judicious application upon those who hold that force.
The unarmed Chinese citizen knows his government is corrupt but is irrelevant in the affairs of the nation as he holds nearly no force. The only people who broker and leverage for equality in China are the effective feudal lords - the economic chairs and the generals.