“What do you mean “live better”? In what ways?”
In every way that counts. This idea that all of China are peasants and live in the dirt is just plain ignorance. The same kind of ignorance the Soviet Union displayed when their propaganda said Americans were all starving and living like the worst pictures taken of the Great Depression. We have 300 million people, many below the poverty line. China has 300 million middle class or better. Maybe a billion more under the poverty line but they still have a whole lot of middle class living just fine.
Perhaps the people are economically better off, but they can still be killed for protesting against the government, no? (I’m sure we’ll reach that point eventually). They still have censorship in matters of TV and movies, correct? They can’t own guns, they can’t have more than one child. China has banned activities like gambling, as well. I would hardly say that they are better off in “every way that counts”.