I think the original post says it very well but the discussion has diverged from it.
The issue is primarily about GOG, not China, or even the government there: it's difficult to expect the Communist Party to say or do anything else than what they are saying and doing. When they prosecute any dissent, are they going to make an exception just for GOG? Of course not. Are they going to keep stirring up controversy whenever it suits their political interests? You bet they are. The important question though is: to what extent does it matter? If you're not in China, the answer is likely very little. Focusing on this aspect is missing the issue closer to home.
It's the Chinese government's prerogative to set the rules within their country. GOG is a business, not a political activist group, and if they want to operate in China, they should follow the laws there and probably take local sensitivities into account as well. I have no problem with that. Whether GOG should have this game listed in China is a separate question, and since it doesn't concern me directly, I'm fine with whatever they decide, either way.
What the Chinese Communist Party is up to is not a primary concern of mine either, for all I care they can do whatever they feel like as long as it doesn't affect me. I am however a customer and thus a stakeholder in GOG. And what GOG is telling us now is that basically anybody can get a game pulled if they complain enough. This creates a precedent that is the opening of Pandora's box. This time the backlash is from China, which is somewhat notorious for this kind of knee-jerk reaction, so it's easy to focus on the low-hanging fruit. Next time it could just as well be someone else though. To avoid the situation from repeating itself, the response can't be just about who's doing the complaining this particular time.
I do not blame external actors for trying to exert pressure on GOG: people will try to do all kinds of things as long as they can get away with them, as this is basic human nature, further propelled by organizational dynamics. But just because someone, somewhere (in this case, the Communist Party in China) demands something, doesn't mean that GOG should automatically bend over backwards to accommodate them. On the contrary, I'd expect GOG to listen to their customers and potential customers before they start pandering to outsiders, especially if these are just some randoms on social media. That they are in fact doing the very opposite is where the root of the problem is, for me. What's more, that they shamelessly claim their decision was due to popular demand is even more aggravating.
I am not looking to overthrow the Communist Party in China, however neither do I want to endorse it. The way GOG has played this, any purchase with them is effectively such an endorsement at this point, unless they backtrack on this decision. This is self-inflicted damage for GOG as it was possible to preempt such a development in a number of ways. However, now, GOG has to make a clear choice: do you or do you not stand for censorship?