Any given political systems works well in some cases, and poorly in others. American representative democracy works when the country is relatively unified on is

Any given political systems works well in some cases, and poorly in others. American representative democracy works when the country is relatively unified on issues, but falls apart when the population is polarized (hence the lack of meaningful legislation since the Clean Air Act under Nixon). Authoritarianism works well when the ruling cohort is benevolent and technocratic, but falls apart when corruption, incompetence, or political instability take hold (various Chinese and Russian leaders fit the bill here). All this is to say, things are complicated. The standard of living for hundreds of millions of people in China has increased unimaginably since Deng’s time: the middle class is still exploding, infrastructure is immaculate, pollution is improving, and global opportunities for middle class Chinese are opening dramatically. But at the same time, Xi’s tightening of power, the burgeoning surveillance state, the brutality being perpetrated in Xinjiang and Tibet, and the ongoing censorship are extremely troubling. Maybe things will change, and the population will grow extremely discontent. Maybe quality of life will continue to increase rapidly, China will become the dominant global superpower, and people will laud Xi as a visionary for decades to come. It’s just tough to say.