Sen. Bernie Sanders’s praise for the government of China should raise eyebrows, and not only for the obvious reasons. His assessment of the Chinese economy knocks the pins out from under his political and economic philosophy.

In an interview last month with the Hill, Mr. Sanders conceded that China “is moving unfortunately in a more authoritarian way in a number of directions.” He then asserted that “what we have to say about China, in fairness to China and its leadership, is . . . they have made more progress in addressing...