You’re kind of proving my point here. Even you admit China sucks at building up allies, and that most of its “partners” aren’t success stories. Ethiopia and Cambodia modernizing is not the same as building a Japan or South Korea, it’s just a bit of infrastructure and investment, nothing close to lifting a country into true prosperity or independence. Pakistan is still dependent on IMF loans to survive.
And let’s not rewrite history: Japan and Korea didn’t just succeed on their own. They were devastated after WWII and the Korean War. US support, military protection, markets, capital, and tech transfer was absolutely decisive. Without that, their “success-oriented culture” wouldn’t have had the chance to get anywhere.
I’m no China hater or Asia hater, actually I prefer the East over the West in many ways. But the track record is very clear.
And since you brought up “culture,” let’s look at Iran. Iran’s economy was one of the fastest-growing in the world while it was aligned with the West. After the revolution and turning east, look now, poverty, water and electricity shortages, constant crisis. Same people, same culture, completely different results. That should tell you it isn’t about culture, it’s about which direction you align with.