I think this is an unintentional oversimplification of their views.
Put another way, if someone considers China a lesser evil than the US, that doesn’t mean they are giving China a “pass.” I would argue that there are no truly good states right now, so everyone is ultimately picking a lesser evil.
If I say China having high speed rail is good, that doesn’t mean I agree with the homophobic legislature in China.
The people who give China a pass are who I’m talking about. They don’t oppose the Chinese government either.
For some people the thought process is:
Oppose “the West” = good
Support “the West” = bad
The countries making up “the West” change from person to person and day to day.
I think this is an unintentional oversimplification of their views.
Put another way, if someone considers China a lesser evil than the US, that doesn’t mean they are giving China a “pass.” I would argue that there are no truly good states right now, so everyone is ultimately picking a lesser evil.
If I say China having high speed rail is good, that doesn’t mean I agree with the homophobic legislature in China.