[esjeon]

Yeah, you got a very good point there. Yes, it may seem very weird, but that’s because China was not playing the game.

The game that I suggested earlier assumes that (1) those in power seek to maximize their gains, (2) and such behavior is NOT aligned with social gains. So, basically, a never-ending arms race between the authority and the people. (check Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes if you’re interested)

However, China (and also South Korea) got a weird alignment in interests between the authoritarian government and the people — both of them somehow sought after national economic growth. Since their interests are already aligned, they didn’t play the game that I suggested above.

I think such alignment cannot be reproduced through games nor social interaction b/w powers — rather, it is more of a humane part of the history.