If China were to have continued its gradual openness before XJ, I would have agreed. Now, I have my doubts. Sure, innovation needs capital and it also needs an educated and skilled workforce, but it also needs freedom of speech to thrive and grow. Without freedom of speech, all you have is one giant copier. There's an intellectual cost to constantly having to determine whether you can say or write something without getting in trouble. imo A South Korean metro has a much better chance of replacing SV long term.