Why is it crucial for a relationship with a human-rights-oppressing totalitarian regime to be stabilized?

This is the question no government is asking. If it's some poor island that is enslaving people, the West can invade and liberate it in a heartbeat, and its oil reserves. Human rights is used as leverage by the west to gain this access or that when it's convenient. Shit, they don't even care about human rights in their own countries, really. Not really. To a greater extent than China? Yes, but is that saying much?

There are no individual human rights in the world. It's a farce. Clearly. The largest country in the world by population imprisons and enslaves people based on race or political leanings or any number of ill defined metrics, and the world is fine with that. As long as the products keep flowing. Those of us in supposedly free countries should be very worried about our safety. Our governments could sell us out or go fascist very quickly. It's all business. In fact, it's like a stupid movie line. "Nothing personal. It's just business."

The only reason we have the freedom we do is because we have surplus. Surplus. Surplus which has been made possible through technological advancements. As long as technology and industry can keep supplying surplus, rulers can keep allowing us to believe we're free. When the surplus dries up for any reason, watch out. See how much freedom you have then. Because the powerful, ultimately, take control and own everything. They can take your money, your house, your time.

But not a word about human rights abuses.

Of course not. Where's the pay off? They don't give a shit about Uyghurs at all, at all.

People-to-people ties - aka United Front Work Dept.

Yep, let's work together to milk our humans for as much productivity as possible and pay them as little as possible; in other words, make each other as rich as possible and fuck the little people.

Either our leaders are so stupid that they genuinely don't realize that there is a bigger issue at hand than short term money, namely Totalitarianism Vs Freedom - or - due to Covid, they realize they have far more in common with the CCP in terms of centralizing power than they do with the messier principles of democracy. I've gotta assume it's the second one.

I think it's a mixture of both. Maybe they allow themselves to be stupid because they see what's at stake. So, yes, it's the second one.