JW is a wingnut, I’ll give you that. And yet, he made a show where the good guys are the everyman, and the bad guys are the state.
It is interesting that you mention China, as there is a Chinese influence in “Firefly” as well.
The Chinese in Firefly, according to the many tomes of commentary and philosophy on it, are a warning signal of the future.
China will overrun the future population. And they won’t bring with them advances in technology and culture. They are the homeless, tent-dwelling street vendors.
Remember that while the vile, disgusting market places and bazaars are labelled in Chinese, the controls and buttons on the ship are in English.
(Reminds me of “Why are there no muslims on Star Trek? Because it’s the future” joke)
One of my favorite scenes from Firefly is in Heart of Gold where Inara meets Mal after Mal has slept with Inara’s friend. He’s somewhat ashamed at the encounter but she states he needs to get over his puritanical views on sex and is happy for her friend. The next scene shows her alone crying uncontrollably. Don’t know if Josh meant to play the natural law card there but it worked for me.
He made the Firefly show with the State being the bad guys in 2002, during the Bush administration. It was acceptable then, and would be acceptable now, but would not have been during the Obama administration.