Both good points. Determining whether the U.S. or China has more economic freedom is difficult, because their ways of restricting freedom are so different. di

Both good points. Determining whether the U.S. or China has more economic freedom is difficult, because their ways of restricting freedom are so different. discourse means that sound discussion of economic policy at a deep and detailed level can't happen. It definitely happens among the elites, I once attended a workshop in Guangzhou about problems in urban planning. You can criticize the government's actions, you just cannot question its legitimacy. But even then you probably won't be jailed. Being an open supporter of democracy in China is like being an open racist in the U.S. You probably won't get jailed, but you will find your career not going so well. It is true you see far less policy debate in the popular press, but personally I'd have to be convinced that there is any link between the amount of popular debate over a certain issue and the quality of the eventual solution. Lack of transparency is always definitely an economic hindrance, no question there. It's a bad problem both in China and the U.S..