I don't think that's the case. That's a very teleological perspective. China is a very deontological society. I get the impression that many people in China would agree with the punishment in these instances. It's very weird to me. But it is what it is. When I talk with Chinese people, they would either agree with it, or they would prefer to say something like, "He should have known that he'd get punished for that." Never have I heard someone say something like, "Sheesh, that sucks." Definitely never have I heard someone say something like, "This is an outrage."