"Everyone will only work for their own interest" when they're poor and underdeveloped, and especially when the stakes (becoming a fully-developed country vs. getting stuck in the middle-income trap like so many other places in the world) are so high. There's very little that's surprising about that. But to talk about "balancing the interests of all parties" is a distraction at present. Growing the pie is still the priority in people's minds, splitting it in a properly "balanced" way can happen later.

This is very true. Mao almost killed the Communist Party. So long as the Party can provide stability and prosperity they will stay in power. But I fail to see the problem here? Most people just want to live their lives- not sit in caves and have philosophical debates about human rights and democracy.