You don't need an official to authorize personal expenditures on an Amex Centurion black card. This is why staff at luxury clothing stores in Venice speak Chinese.
That card stops working pretty quick if you can’t manage to get money out of China and into Amex’s hands.
And that's why people proxy through Hong Kong and own overseas holding companies. Just don't be a thorn to the party.
Didn’t paulsutter above suggest Singapore had replaced HK though?