[tesators]

But Hong Kong became prosperous during a time when it didn't have either of those.

During the booming 70s-90s, just about all high level government officials were appointed by the British. In addition, most of the upper class were British as well.

Local Hongkongers were often second class citizens.

Likewise, when Singapore, Korea, and Taiwan were booming, they were essentially dictatorships.

Heck, compare South Africa and Zimbabwe during the apartheid era to now.

[rangibaby]

What do think about Japan? They became the richest country in Asia while being a democracy.

Chauvinists don't like to admit it but they are at least partly responsible for the ROC and ROK's success too.

> Heck, compare South Africa and Zimbabwe during the apartheid era to now.

What happened a shame but the whites in those country are now sleeping in the bed they made.

[alphonsegaston]

Japan has not functionally been a democracy since the 1960s, when US intelligence services funded a right-wing takeover of their government that has, with little interruption, remained in place. Its wealth is largely the product of it being the primary client state of the US empire in SE Asia.

The current leader, Abe Shinzo, is actively working on dismantling what little semblance of democracy remains, including silencing the press and passing laws to lock up anyone who "plans to protest" against his government.

http://www.nytimes.com/1994/10/09/world/cia-spent-millions-t...

https://foreignpolicy.com/2016/05/27/the-silencing-of-japans...

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/03/21/national/crime-l...

[vkou]

The ROK was a wild economic success when it was a dictatorship that tortured and dissapeared political dissidents.

I think economic success has more to do with access to American markets, and being a 'strategic partner' in cold war geo-political games, then it did with your form of government.