First of all, the "US model" constantly evolves over time. If "Western" values à la traditional European Enlightenment no longer support American primacy, I cannot think of a reason something else won't come out to better serve that purpose.

On a related note, to those growing up in mainland China, there are certain knee-jerk reactions when it comes to "the motherland" (祖国). Think about "guochi" (国耻, national shame associated with Middle Country/Qing Dynasty's downfall when confronted by Western powers in the 19th century), or their attitude towards separatism in Tibet, East Turkestan, Taiwan, and most recently, Hong Kong. The CCP has successfully exploited these narratives (e.g. using meticulously designed propaganda and "patriotism education") to shore up their legitimacy. And together with their information decoupling (e.g. WeChat and Weibo accounts catering to overseas Chinese students, most of whom do not read from local sources), the majority of Chinese cannot recognize how subconsciously they are under the influence.

As a result, liberal values that are learned even after moving to the West cannot easily override these conditioned responses from their younger selves' own experience. As Erik has noted here, even reasonable Chinese people would suddenly become irrational when certain buttons are pushed.