China's growing faster than us, and has been for some time, but that hardly implies that their system is better, even when considering only the limited area of economic growth.
They grow faster because they have liberated and moved away from government control, while we've been moving in the other direction (we are still freer than they are, but the change is important), and also because they have wealthier nations to buy their products. Its easier to grow faster when your catching up to, and can trade with a country like the US (and also Europe and rich countries elsewhere).
As they become even wealthier pressure for political reform will probably increase (particularly if they become much wealthier, and then the high economic growth stops, going back down to the norm, or even in to a recession/economic shrinking for a time).
The surveillance (and the "great firewall" and such) is a cost not a benefit to the Chinese economy, both in direct terms (it takes resources that could have been used elsewhere), and indirect (it reduces flexibility and innovation, although not nearly as much as it could since the Chinese generally are just focused on limiting political freedom, not economic freedom). Its a cost the Chinese government feels they can afford, and even need to spend, but its still an economic negative. |
