Quote Originally Posted by Firn View Post
The Chinese government may be wise and crafty but it is also all too human and has to deal with a strong nationalistic current.
I suppose that's no current, but their replacement ideology for communism, which they obviously discarded in practice.

Their communist party transformed into a nationalistic unity party. Their best claim for power is that China did not fare well with decentralisation in the past and that their rule is what keeps China united, strong and civil war away.