You can poke all the fun you like at the U.S. political institutions. In fact, we have a functioning republic. In fact, China is a Communist dictatorship. You may not like these facts, but my guess is that as long as historians write these big differences will be acknowledged.

Happy New Year!

China is a Communist dictatorship.

A "dictatorship", certainly, but how do you define Communist?
To use a metaphor probably of your liking, communism is as christianity, it has never been tried.
And probably never will, just for the same reason as christianity, not realistic.
In the meantime it comes handy as an epithet.

As for a "functioning republic" the US certainly is MUCH MORE CLEVER in its "functioning" than the USSR/China brutes, stealth bombers but also stealth torture : The History of U.S.Torture.
The US is slowly drifting toward Brazil (the Terry Gilliam movie, that is).

"Best Hopes" as one use to say for solving PO & GW problems in such a context.