I think Stalin was largely correct in what he did, the problem was that he left a system which failed to ensure strong leadership going forward. A stable social system can't depend on a single strong willed individual being in charge and making the right calls. Continuity of competent governance, especially in time of plenty is the hardest problem to solve in my opinion.
And completely agree, China quietly outplayed the west. A lot of it was inherent in western hubris too. They really thought that theirs was the only way to develop, and they figured that China would have to become like them eventually and they'd fold it in. But it didn't work out that way. Turns out people with 3000 years of continuous civilization under their belt know a thing or two of their won. Also, don't know if you saw, but American media has now realized DPRK is doing rather well. https://archive.ph/b9zrS
The west really is starting to look like the final days of the Roman empire now. I expect we'll start seeing provinces getting cut loose next and imploding economically. The UK looks like it might be the first to pop.
oh and just ran across this https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202605/19/WS6a0c0718a310d6866eb4976d.html