There are plenty of places where citizens are free to engage in normal discussions about politics, and particularly the history of their own country.

But yes, nothing is perfect, the world is not your false dichotomy, and every system should seek to iteratively improve. China should seek to grant its citizens more individual freedoms as well, wouldn't you agree? This is very low hanging fruit for free society, and China has a lot more work to do than the west on this particular issue.