What China lacks is not individuals; for example, it's not just Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou, but also some leading second-tier cities like Suzhou, Chengdu, Hangzhou, and Guangzhou, where the standard of living is already comparable to the West (excluding the United States, which is still significantly higher than other Western countries overall).

What brings down China's average are the vast fourth-tier cities, the West, and rural areas, where the overall economic level and living standards still fall far behind.

However, this is a matter of time, and the declining birth rate will also help accelerate this process.