And with China now sliding back into madness of seventies again, I see lots, and lots of people leaving,... but they do not go back to the US, or West in general.
Out of all places, some went to Vietnam, some, to Taiwan, some try their luck in places which were never before associated with electronics industry. One rather serious company of a person I know quite well, whose success was entirely on it being in China, is now relocating to Singapore.
I think that many people overestimate the impact of living under China's "autocratic regime" has on daily life. Especially if you're a Westerner there is no difference.
I have always felt that Japanese culture and society were more difficult to adapt to. China is much less rigid.
Obviously it's still a big cultural and linguistic change.
You can stand in front of the White House and yell "Down with Donald Trump!", and you will not be punished.
Equally, you can also stand in Tiananmen Square in Beijing and yell "Down with Donald Trump!", and you will not be punished.
Obviously it's still a big cultural and linguistic change.
If you're into political activism, sure China is not the place for you to move to. But look at the daily life of a typical American and the daily life of a typical Chinese and they will be boringly similar.
In any country, barring dire situations, most people just want to wake up every morning and go do their jobs to put food on the table.
In India, most tech people don't even vote, let alone indulge in active political causes. Most of those people will do fine anywhere.