I would say that to a great extent the author is correct.

Most of what you hear in the US and in the west is just trying to take credit for what happened.

When you make liberal reforms you do open the door to revolution. Repressed people don’t miss what they don’t have or never had. When you show them things can be better you open the way for new ideas and movements to spring up.

China almost lost it but good old brutal repression went a long way in silencing the opposition. That and a lack of free information. That is one of the reasons the Chinese Government maintains such strict control over the internet. It is still a ticking bomb however. As people become more affluent they also want more control over the things that threaten their economic security.