I think it is because we conflate the current Chinese system with the old Mao/Soviet Union system because all call themselves "communist". The vast majority ar

I think it is because we conflate the current Chinese system with the old Mao/Soviet Union system because all call themselves "communist". The vast majority are completely ignorant of what Socialism with Chinese characteristics mean. I can't imagine even 5% of the US population knows who Deng Xiaoping was. The idea there are many parts of the Chinese economy that are more Laissez-faire capitalist than anything we have had in the US in a long time would just not compute for most Americans.