Do you really perceive EU/US having the same level of independence of judges, newspapers and regulation bodies as Russia and China? Do you think that minority parties and voices are accepted to the same degree?

The difference is that placing trust in China/Russia means trusting in a narrative driven by a small group (the ruling elite), while placing trust in "the West" usually refers to the collective knowledge of scientific endeavours that tend to succeed better in a nation more friendly to liberal democracy.

It's a difference of degree. The US has done (way more than) its fair share of shitty things, no doubt about that. It's still a democratic government (a flawed one) which is miles better than the autocracy of Russia or the oppressive totalitarianism of the CCP.

Try opening a publishing paper in China that runs #NotMyPresident with a picture of Xi. You may find yourself being re-educated somewhere

"The West" is a bit more restricted in how much they can lie to their own citizens (even with the recent efforts from Mr Trump and Mr Johnson to change that for the worse).

Of course, in Mother Russia it is widely believed that everyone lies more or less, and those looking to expose "the truth" generally live dangerously, often with tragic results.

So "the Earth is round" and "the Earth is flat" is a simple matter of who aligns with whom too?