A popular saying used to have it that welp, "this is China". Or, as the uncouth were want, TIFC. The saying embodied both lowered expectations of what was possible in China and the humorist's, even the absurdist's, appreciation for the weirdness that would come to pass when even any kind of expectation was applied. Cut off on the road? This is China. Run down on the sidewalk? This is China. Babies shitting in the street? China. Boss disappears overnight taking all the company's assets with him? Well, what did you expect?
I think it is no longer appropriate to have low expectations of China. The economy is huge now, but slowing. The people - probably, but I'm not sure - are tired of social change. Expectations actually are leveling out, but they're certainly higher than they used to be. So why should our expectations be low? China has probably hit middle income status by now, and that alone is enough to stop saying China and Chinese can't do any better than peasants. In fact, if expectations do genuinely level out, if "development fatigue" truly does set in, the China you see now is quite possibly the China you will see forever. The next leap forward could be a very long time coming.
But what I'm saying is not that China needs our help to become great. I'm saying China's already moved a fair distance along that path and isn't the last outpost of absurdism any more. We can expect more. And probably should be pushing for it too.