Hell, if we wanna be honest, that's probably why Europe was so much more advanced that the Americas in the 1500s: they had the advantage of continental trade routes on which information could spread with Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. When China walled off, it quickly fell behind, and Japan nearly suffered the same fate, but they managed to pull it back together quickly

Resisting the urge to bring modern politics into this, it's not that hard to believe. Having people from different view points brings in ideas others never thought of. Shared prosperity is a good thing for everyone, a fact far too many forget.