Not saying China should just blindly follow the western model. I think everyone here can agree to that.The "Western" model is why the US is a failure in handling coronavirus. Yeah if everyone followed the US model, it would look like the US was number one in handling outbreaks like they brag because everyone else would be failing also. That's the whole point. It's not about what's best. It's about the US being in control. If everyone follows the Western model, everyone has to look up to the West assuring their control over everything. Again look at EmDrives. Western scientists rejected it because it simply defied the laws of Newton. The Chinese aren't bound to Western schools of thought and tried it out and found there was something to it. If China never looked at it, Western scientists would not be looking at it now. Look at stem cell research. Because of Christians beliefs Western countries are not allowed to research it. China does to Western disdain. Yet you have arch-conservative Republican actor Chuck Norris where his wife had some botched surgery in the US who was rich enough to have the stem-cell surgery in China needed to treat the aftermath. Following the Western model means blindly obeying the West. How about everyone pick and chooses from others including the West what works for them which is what China is doing now? Nope! They demand everything be done like how the West does it. Why? It's not because it's the best. It's because they want to be in control.
That's the problem with China. If the US sees China failing at something, they'll let you know forever... When the US is a failure China doesn't tell that to the US. China is guilty like everyone else in the world not saying anything so Americans can continue to think they're always right and because of that, Americans think they get to dictate to everyone because they're always right hence why they think they can criticize China. I bring up the guy that abuses his wife or girlfriend analogy how the guy says his abuse is all about love and if he didn't love her he wouldn't be abusing her. He always tells her she can do nothing without him so that brainwashes her into staying in the abusive relationship because it's all really about keeping her under his control so she not dare try to leave him. China isn't the one describing Sino-US relations as a marriage talking about divorcing and decoupling... They're the ones saying China can't do anything without them. They say they don't need China yet still trying to get China to submit. For China's own good...? Or is because the US needs to control everything...? If China goes it's own way, that might give other countries ideas. That's why they can never leave China alone.
But to succeed in the next stages of development and actually innovate, and also compete head to head with the best from the West, China needs to continue to reform. The key is what exactly needs to be done and the time frame it needs to be done at.