[chilepepper]

the scenario that scares me is that the party, sensing collapse, uses nationalizm, particularly the Taiwan question, as a tool to weld together the nation state in a fight against a foreign threat.

with the demographics of China creating a surplus pool of warrior ants, it seems a natural step for some Chinese Hitler to take, and unfortunately it will probably resonate deeply amongst a large swath of the Chinese population.

the race is on between the burgeoning Chinese "middle class" who just want to make a living and the Chinese Communist/Military class, occasionally known as the PLA

[maui_hawaii]

One cannot rule out that scenario at all. Good intentions go to hell once a war is on and people are fighting in the streets, ala Tian An Men...

A lot of Chinese grew up with hot heads and ideologies running the show. Most are sick of that crap and don't want to go back.

Even at that though things could go either way.