"I think a lot of people (including me) want China to join the club of first world countries, not just economically, but also in terms of respect of human rights. "

-- Really? A lot? I don't think so. My experience is Chinese middle class rarely care about human rights issues. Most of them are extremely cold blood. As long as their own family is not hurt, they don't care about human rights issues at all. As long as they can get rich and stay rich, they will praise the authoritarian regime.