The Chincoms realise that to attempt to maintain the Mao-style of state socialism leads to revolt well sooner than later.
Hence, plan B; allow parts of the economy to pretend to be capitalist(ish), while still running the old state industries at a huge loss, and make the faux-capitalist sector of the economy pay for the privilege.
Ah, but the ChinComs missed something here, now didn't they? What happens when X hundred million peasants hear about all this wealth (''It is glorious to be rich'' -- Deng Xiao Ping, chairman of the Party, right?) and try to move to the cities where the wealth is created...and can't.
No place to live, no job they can do.
Don't waste any nukes on China. The citizens will, in dribs and drabs OR all at once, one day, do the job of neutering the ChinCom philosophy w/o incurring an enormous number of deaths.
'Chasing the Dragon' is the common and traditional euphemism for smoking opium. I would suggest that that phrase also is apropos to the hilariously and inevitably doomed policy of 'one nation, two systems'
I believe your comments describe accurately one possibility. I am still reminded that it doesn't take all that many people to control the masses.
When those without guns start being mowed down by those with them, it sorta puts a dent in your plans to rebel.
I know big money talks. Big guns talk louder.
Same thought occured to me while reading the story.
I hope you are correct, but as long as we have agents of the west, like Google agreeing to assist in keeping the communist myth alive that day will be delayed. The only positive aspect of that is very few chinese have access to the net anyway.
We should, instead, be flooding the airwaves with broadcasts of these events. The VOA should be beaming broadcasts into that country from every corner of the earth. China is too vast to jam everywhere.
Sadly, I don't think our government is up to it.