I draw very different conclusions.
1.Where did all the Chinese with better managerial and entrepreneurial skills vanish to? The answer is China (or Taiwan, or Hong Kong, or Singapore or Southeast Asia)! The fact that you have so many Indian executives making money for American or British companies is a very sad reflection on how backward/lacking of opportunites India is today. There is even a term for this phenomenon: the "Sea-Turtle" effect.
The Indians today are very much like the more ambitious Chinese in the 19th Century. Back then, these Chinese went to Southeast Asia and 200 years later, ethnic Chinese dominate over 50% of all Southeast Asian economies with Indonesia being the most skewed (< 5% population controlling 75% of the economy). If Southeast Asia is a laboratory to test whether Chinese or Indians are better at building relationships then clearly we know who is the overwhelming winner.
Putin is a masterful politician (Russia's GDP is less than South Korea). Mao was a great strategist. Sadly, the only chips they can play with are Russian and Chinese lives. How many Russians died in other countries' wars? How many Chinese died in Korea? I am sure both rather be in Xi's position of real strength. Chihuahuas bark all the time. Big dogs don't have to. Soviet Union collapsed because it couldn't sustain its military. U.S. won WW2 and the Cold War not due to its great generalship but due to its immense industrial might. Wealth does equal Power. Deng understood where real power lies and economy was the means. It is the weak that must make deals. Between countries, there is only national self-interest. There is nothing cultural or ideological. Lasting alliances are built upon mutually aligned objectives. Do I care if my banker is vegetarian? He is a good banker if he lends me the money. Examples: China/Pakistan, U.S./Saudi Arabia, North Korea/Iran, etc. Using race or religion as common thread between two states is convenient way to sell it to the common people, nothing more.
Today, Russia, Iran, and North Korea all make waves just like Mao in the 1950's but they are all mere nuisances to the U.S. Nobody cares what Modi or Abe (until this week) thinks. Only China is deemed as an existential threat. Rightfully so. Nobody would be worried about a competitor if you think your competition is going down the wrong path. On the other hand, you would be extremely concerned if you believe your competition is better and will eat your lunch and dinner and all the snacks in between. Just look at the Maximum Pressure tactic U.S. is trying to exert on China. Talk is cheap. The only real conclusion one can draw is that China is doing everything right and the U.S. is tucking its tail and try to bark as loudly as it can. With a GDP (PPP) 27% greater than the U.S. last year, it is really silly to think China can lie low without anyone noticing. Deng would be thrilled to know his strategy worked and must be discarded.
Wealth = Influence = First among equals.
