People have been hoping for this link between freedom and economic development for years about China. It turns out that it's just wishful thinking. China is much richer and no more free than it was decades ago.
But the social changes technology and development produce are far reaching, and usually well correlated on the long term with a democratic society. It's hard to care about liberty when you don't have food on the table, and a lower educated and poor person is much more likely to accept authoritarianism as an acceptable compromise.
I'm very hopeful for China's future and Hong Kong's peaceful resistance is a model that wil spread.
>People allowed to own land
Not sure the mental gymnastics you have to go through to convince yourself private ownership of land == freedom
American by chance?