At generating energy? Yes. At emissions per watt? Not necessarily. Coal is much, much dirtier fuel than gasoline.
Metropolitan emissions per mile would be the important metric, since gasoline in cars is at most ~30% efficient, and coal plants can be built away from the city.
Plus they are built outside cities, so it moves the pollution to a less population dense area
Modern Chinese coal plants are also more efficient than older US plants. I think after the next year or so of closures of old plants in China that China's least efficient plant will be better than the most efficient one in the US