How does the Tacitus Trap apply to China?

Named after the Roman historian Tacitus, this political theory states that when a government becomes unpopular enough, it will be hated no matter what it does, whether what it does is right or wrong. All government actions will be considered either a lie or a negative action. Historically, it has been used to describe the situation and reasons for everything from the collapse of ancient Rome to turbulence in China in the 3rd century.
In 2014, Xi Jinping used the term and highlighted the risk of a situation wherein the Chinese government loses “the viewpoints of the people, fails to stand with the people,” and then “the people will not have you in their eyes.”
The term is now commonly used in China across news media and academia. It is discussed as the need for the Chinese government to maintain credibility in the eyes of the people else its legitimacy and power will be in jeopardy. The state is taking actions to become more transparent and restructure. Chinese media continues to argue that their political system is more credible and democrat than even Western democracy. If that is the case, then are so many people concerned about the Tacitus Trap?
Works Cited:
https://thegeopolitics.com/the-20th-party-congress-of-ccp-exploring-the-possibility-of-china-falling-into-the-tacitus-trap/
https://www.cfr.org/blog/four-traps-china-may-fall
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