I don't believe cultures are intrinsically high or low context. The English only became a culture that valued process and communication because it works. Victorian England was all about who you know being more important that what you know. The brutal reality that family can be a ball and chain, and that corrupt officials helping out their friends and family is a detriment to society took a while to set in.
China and India are dirt poor. Japan and Korea were dirt poor a generation ago.
OK, low-communication (high context) might be part of a culture, like a preference towards old, white men. But I think it's one that cultures need to jettison if they want to stay relevant.
I think you mean Japan was dirt poor a couple if generations ago. A generation ago they were in the middle of their economic bubble. A couple of generations ago, they were rebuilding from the devastation of World War II. Before that, they were already an advanced industrialized nation, far ahead of their neighbours.
China and India are dirt poor. Japan and Korea were dirt poor a generation ago.
OK, low-communication (high context) might be part of a culture, like a preference towards old, white men. But I think it's one that cultures need to jettison if they want to stay relevant.