Jack Ma is part of the evidence -- there are others who have said the same thing. There are many examples of less notoriety of people saying bad things about CCP and then "disappearing" (many government officials).

It's only a cliche, because westerners are often just as obsessed with face, though having a foot in two cultures there are a few big places where the difference is noticable:

US (and by extension NATO, doctrinally) military is very unconcerned with face in the small. For (real example) anyone on the bridge of a US ship can report to the captain of a ship that the ship is out of position (for an exercise). A buddy almost got walloped on the bridge of a ROK ship for doing that. They didn't because he was American and that's what exchanges are for.

some cultures in the west tend to value bluntness over face in the small.

Yea I remember an HN post from a US pilot trainer explaining the same culture problem in Korea in the aftermath of the Asiana airlines crash at SFO. But I see that as more of a hierarchy problem rather than saving face.