I have faith in freedom. China still has a long way to go. The Soviet Union sent the first man-made satellite and the first Human being into space before anyone else. However, Soviet Union collapsed eventually. China has not reached the height of Soviet Union in terms of scientific achievements yet.
What does it take to be a scientific superpower these days? China sent an astronaut up in 2016 a few years after the US gave up and had to rely on Soyuz