China has lifted 400 million people from poverty to lower middle class in 20-30 years. This is wealth creation on an unprecedented scale. And when I say unprece

China has lifted 400 million people from poverty to lower middle class in 20-30 years. This is wealth creation on an unprecedented scale. And when I say unprecedented, I mean it in the literal, absolute sense. The fact that many of them are working in unpleasant factories completely overshadows the fact that their parents were subsidence farmers and that their kids will have access to decent/good education and healthcare. China isn't perfect, but the velocity of the development is central. Much of the western knee-jerk reaction to the conditions in China seems to work from the premise that eliminating poverty is only worthwhile if it can be done in a clean stroke with no unpleasant intermediate steps.