> Maybe some naive neoliberals expected it to become democratic due to some magical thinking that trade brings democracy The naïve neoliberals weren't fully wr

> Maybe some naive neoliberals expected it to become democratic due to some magical thinking that trade brings democracy The naïve neoliberals weren't fully wrong. When you trade with a foreign civilization, elements of their culture do tend to seep into yours. And American culture is particularly infectious. Where the calculus went wrong is that the CCP isn't dumb, they recognized the existential threat to their rule and countered it