I think that’s a false dichotomy. The methods of the CIA and the CCP are far from being completely dissimilar. I wouldn’t be surprised if there was a large degree of collaboration between both, especially when there may be powers that use both organizations as tools for their own purposes. A truly patriotic CIA wouldn’t tolerate the extreme meddling of China in the American industry and markets, especially not the rampant IP “theft”.
The difference between the CIA model and the CCP model is that the latter uses a much more overt form of control. The actual difference between surveillance in China and the rest of the world is that Chinese citizens know how they are surveilled. That knowledge may be of advantage, but the terror that is imposed by a ruthless regime makes most people too afraid to oppose the party. Criticism of the government is tolerated to a small (and rapidly decreasing) degree in the West, but criticism of certain critical aspects of the way the economy is run can get you “disappeared” no matter what position you hold.
Also, it’s easier to get rid of a ruling party or regime than getting rid of a secret service. Those who demand such an action must fear for their lives, no matter who they are. If people get angry about a regime, it may fall. On the other hand, secret services usually are operating too much in secret for people to get angry about them.
Anyway, we probably live in a simultaneous CIA and CCP dystopia, since we are facing both covert and overt forms of oppression. The only way to escape that is a broad societal coalition with the will to get rid of both!
The high standard of living in Europe does seem to have bred a certain degree of complacency. There hasn’t been a strong effort to try competing with powers like the USA, China, or even “merely” Russia. Rather than trying to become a serious regional power, Europe has been content to be a junior partner/vassal of the US. That was the plan of certain forces within the USA, and they have succeeded so far.
Even if Europe decided to join the BRICS, that wouldn’t change too much about the junior role of Europe. Europe lacks the abundance of resources that the US, Russia, and China enjoy, so getting to a place of regional autonomy, autarky, and sovereignty is really hard. The resource requirements in the 21st century are different from those of the 19th century in which Europe still could dominate the globe.