Given the performance of the leadership in the Western world, China looks pretty good.
Admittedly also a sort of 'Ancien Regime', where 'lese majeste' is a serious crime as well, plus an arbitrary legal system with catchall crime categories.
Against that, a pretty broad effort to deliver some prosperity for the people instead of costly foreign adventures.
For a retired couple, staying in a society that still respects older people and that is pretty crime free does not seem irrational.