What is it about "face" that makes people willing to let innocent people be tortured to death or worse, just so lies can be sustained? For this face, it's not worth it.
Bloomberg: In addition to illustrating the pull of China’s rising economic and political clout, the fair (Shanghai World Expo.) is a means for Chinese leaders to bolster their domestic authority, said Shen Dingli, vice dean of the Institute of International Affairs at Shanghai’s Fudan University.
“All nations understand that if they don’t go, they will miss an opportunity,” he said. Their attendance also “gives us face,” or enhances China’s reputation, while supporting what Shen calls the government’s core interest: “the survival of the Communist Party.”
The Expo reinforces the party’s hold on power because it is expected to boost growth, perpetuating a tacit bargain China’s people have made with the government to “yield their demand for political rights” as long as the economy expands and China’s image is burnished, Shen said.
“This is for domestic consumption more than anything else,” said Robert Ross, a professor of political science specializing in Chinese politics at Boston College in Massachusetts. “This will be spun as ‘The world is coming to China to praise China.’ What better symbol for China’s domestic masses of the greatness of their leaders?”
No More Chinese Communist Party 