Personally I agree with what Tom Friedman's view in his book "That Used To Be US". China is getting 90% out of its political system and US is currently only getting 30-40% out of its own. If implemented properly a free and open democracy should be a better system for the country as well as for its citizen. But like what gpit already described US today lacks some of the fundamental criteria for a true and self correcting democracy. Just look at the Republican GOP debate last night on CNN. The media essentially turned the debate into a TV reality show, is this what we need in democracy? A free press does not automatically equal a fair and good press. So yes in this case I totally agree the currently Chinese system is out performing US' system by a large margin.
One more advantage I believe China has, not necessarily an advantage of the political system but rather from its citizen and bureaucrats, is that ever since the white-cat-black-cat reform everyone in China from top to bottom agree and understand their system is not perfect. And they are constantly scouting the world trying to absorb whatever is working into their system. Political reform is constantly being discussed and heatedly debated. In this day and age I believe all political system need to change and adapt to the new reality - globalization, new economy, global warming, social media etc. Survival the fittest, this is the true strength in Chinese system, nothing is off the table everything is possible. Compare that to the team party member reciting constitution in its entirety in congress, US' blind belief in its exceptionlism and the surge of radical conservatism are going to introduce unnecessary rigidity in its supposedly more flexible system and lose out to China in a long run if it does not change soon.
Today's US actually reminds me of the old China who blindly believed in its exceptionalism, superiority, moral high-ground and God given right to govern plus a lethal dose of ancestor worship (the wisdom of our forefathers).
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