“They are better than they used to be. Change like that takes time.”
We have been told that since the “opening” to Communist China began. But in actuality political change has been zero, zip, nada; and recently party control and it’s political use against “enemies of the state” has become greater, deeper and broader. All the Chinese people have, even economically, are “privileges” granted, and able to be rescinded, by their dictators, not rights.
Trade (import/export) is a different matter than allowing Chinese mainland companies any operations within the domestic U.S. economy.
http://fortune.com/2016/03/18/the-biggest-american-companies-now-owned-by-the-chinese/
https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/12/28/business/tax-bill-china.html?referer=http://www.google.com/