Whataboutism is saying how evil America is and acting like that makes China less bad.

Aaaaah! My mistake. I didn't realize Whataboutism was America specific. All this time I thought it was a generic rhetorical technique where you try to deflect the blame for your own country's missteps by insisting any other country was worse.

But apparently America is exempt. Perhaps even... exceptional? Is there some kind of American Exceptionalism at play here? One in which America is beyond criticism?

Trump is a pedophile. This doesn’t make China suck less

Okay, but what if the Chinese economy promotes things Americans desire - green alternative energy, public health care and education accessible to residents without respect to income or ethnic background, a near totally-equal redistribution of land among the peasantry following the collapse of the landlord-backed government?

Would that make China suck less?

They're accusing you of whataboutism ... by using whataboutism. There's nothing to gain in talking to that kind of person.