There are two ways to deal with the virus: to apply the overwhelming coercive power of the state; or to educate the public and rely primarily on voluntary compliance with social distancing requirements. China, as you would expect, used the first approach, while most of the rest of the world used the second. Who’s winning?
If you believe the statistics, the Chinese are. The problem, of course, is that Chinese statistics are notoriously unreliable, and the government has every incentive to lie. In addition, some liberal democratic jurisdictions reacted more quickly than others, and were rewarded accordingly–think of the difference between New York and San Francisco. Creating a model political system for everyday use based on this kind of extraordinary condition is also inappropriate. Finally, the Chinese state is responsible in large measure for the creation and spread of the virus. On balance, therefore, the authoritarian state has not proved its case.