I don't trust western sources on China because they have a very strong vested interest in demonizing China now. Some of the things I've seen come from the nytimes in particular is straight up lies. I also wouldn't trust Chinese state media reporting on how the US did everything it could to downplay Covid and get people back to work even as there were more waves of death from it. (I wouldn't trust China if they were the ones telling me that, but I know it's true because I lived through it.)

I would bet China does do some nefarious shit at times too, but they are open about it when they take down billionaires, which the US would never do in the first place. I flat do not believe anything the nytimes or the BBC says about China, though. I've seen too much unabashed propaganda from those outlets on things not even having to do with China. No way I'll believe they're telling the truth about their ideological and economic enemy.

To get down to the basis of what I think, yes, China probably does some pretty bad shit sometimes, but I don't think it does anywhere near as bad as what the largest global super power, the bully on the world stage, the US does all the damn time. I hands down believe the US does far far worse, even if there is no country in the world that doesn't have some blood on its own hands.