Ah, yes-- a reread of the comment does imply that, and I can't evaluate that claim. Except to say that, as you mentioned, the financial cost shouldn't be much different (unless the government has much stronger support/subsidies for starting new businesses? I know the Bank of China has friendly terms for domestic loans but I though that tended to be for large scale initiatives and less so for startups)

I'd really like to know more about any cultural or social factors involved. Putting aside the governmental regime, I think the region has a fascinatingly different culture & outlook on the world that differs much from more Western views but has a depth that is often obscured by modern politics. Of course some of that stems from a historic tradition that made the region extremely opaque, if not outright inaccessible (geographically) from outsiders. Hong Kong for example was founded (partially) because ports & cities beyond that area were forbidden. (The cynical & hypocritical Opium Wars waged by Great Britain were of course a factor as well)