In terms of food security, the Chinese population has grown by three times since the regime came in and the amount of arable land has actually been reduced due to desertification and urbanization, yet we estimate that the number of people living in absolute poverty in China--those who have trouble getting enough to eat and having enough energy to keep their bodies warm and clothed--is now down to about 80 million, whereas it used to be 300 million in a smaller population. So that's a significant accomplishment.
In terms of democracy, the Chinese say, “We will have democracy, but conditions don't allow us to have it now.” They've been saying this for a long time. I've been involved in hearing this kind of discussion for 30 years now--I'm 53, in another 30 years I'll be dead--and I'm skeptical of the idea that they have the intention to move to democracy but can't do it quickly. When the Leninist system ended in eastern Europe, it seemed many of those places were able to implement democracy in relatively short order, so I don't buy the idea that democracy is impossible in China.
In terms of progress, there is no institutional progress. There is progress in the sense that in the private sphere you don't have to worry anymore. When I lived in China in the 1970s, if one made a comment of a political nature to friends, it was quite possible that the friends would report it and one would end up in prison. Now you can say things privately, but in terms of substantive protection for human rights or any of the UN freedoms, I frankly don't see it.