Well, if I understand that quote correctly, "rich" is the way the typical english translation of the chinese is usually given, and remember that in english we can count on the usual ideological bagage that anything in the english language tends to carry given who holds power in the english-language world and the use of language as an instrument of that power.

All this being said, the proper translation of Deng Xiaoping's famous quote probably isn't exactly that. Given the actual full quote:

"Poverty is not socialism. To be rich is glorious."

I think it is clear that the general giving of the meaning in the anglo-saxon capitalist press isn't exactly what Deng intended, that "prosperous" is probably a better word to use than "rich," and that it is quite understood, given the context of the quote, that that prosperity be generally collective in orientation, rather than individual as anglo-saxons normally understand it.

"C'est un scandale !"