China

From Gothpoodle

• Population: 1.4 billion
• Aspects: Very Stable, Great Power, Repressive, Third Wave
• Notes: Free in Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan special administrative regions. Fourth Wave in Guangzhou, Macau, and Taiwan. Fifth Wave in Hong Kong.

Just as the 20th century was often called “the American century,” the 21st can be considered “the Chinese century.” Today’s China is the most powerful single nation-state on the planet. It is not the most populous, the most technologically advanced or the most prosperous nation. Even so, the People’s Republic stands near the top in all three of these measures, and thus has the largest economy in the world. Meanwhile, it enjoys internal unity and a sense of national purpose that multiply its effectiveness in world affairs.

The People’s Republic was originally a Communist state. In 2100 state power remains with the National People’s Congress, which is still dominated by the Chinese Communist Party. Despite the name, the Party has evolved far from Mao Zedong’s version of Communism. China remains an authoritarian state, in which political and civil rights are limited in order to protect the Party’s domination. The Chinese people do enjoy a variety of civil and economic rights, especially in the “special administrative regions” of Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Privately owned business is the main driver of the economy. Indeed, since about 2050 the senior Party leadership has been composed primarily of successful businessmen.

The Chinese system of governance has changed in other ways as well, allowing regions within the state greater independence. At the beginning of the century, there was already considerable tension between China’s highly centralized political system and its decentralized economic system. About 2010, a new generation of Communist Party leadership began to deliberately loosen the grip of the central government. Henceforth, portions of China would be permitted to experiment with democracy or other “dangerous” ideas, so long as the experiments were safely limited in geographical scope and the authority of the Party was not threatened.

This careful opening to new political ideas had some precedent in the “one country, two systems” rule under which Hong Kong and Macau had been allowed to retain democratic institutions. Soon the notion faced its sternest test, as the Chinese government opened negotiations with its “renegade province” on Taiwan. The so-called Republic of China was offered almost total internal autonomy, its democratic and free-market institutions to be left intact. In exchange, foreign and defense policy would be turned over to the Beijing government, although Taiwan was guaranteed representation in the appropriate ministries.

The negotiations went surprisingly well. Although there was an active independence movement on Taiwan, the ruling Kuomintang party had always supported the idea of eventual reunification. Reassured that they would not be robbed of their hard-won democracy, many Taiwanese supported reunification on the grounds of common culture. Reunification was complete by 2022.

Strict state controls have tended to make Chinese adoption of Third Wave technologies rather slow. To this day, ordinary citizens outside the “special regions” are not permitted to use advanced privacy technology. The state has traditionally made large investments in systems which allow it to monitor telecommunications traffic and otherwise track the activities of its citizens. “Abuse” of web technology is a serious offense in most parts of the People’s Republic.

On the other hand, since the 2020s China has been a leader in the area of biotechnology. Bioengineering was applied to agriculture early and on a massive scale, making China a world leader in agricultural exports as early as 2035. Human cloning, variant human genotypes, and bioroid manufacture all gradually became important elements of the Chinese economy. These industries have made China an industrial powerhouse, even without the universal adoption of Fifth Wave technology. Of course, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan all have advanced Fifth Wave economies, and represent the leading edge of Chinese industry.

The Chinese government strives for self-sufficiency in world affairs, despite extensive economic ties to the rest of the world community and full participation in most international organizations. The People’s Republic follows its own diplomatic course, rejecting any “interference” from outside and refusing to form substantive alliances with any other nation. For their part, the Chinese people are not entirely happy with their own government, but most are patriotic and distrustful of foreigners. Most think of China as a nation set apart, dedicated to carving out its own destiny without the help (or interference) of others.

For over 20 years China has been engaged in political and covert maneuvering on a grand scale, less to build an empire of its own than to prevent any of its rivals from building a strong anti-Chinese position. Today Chinese agents might be found almost anywhere in the world, ferreting out secrets, trying to manipulate national politics, or supporting friendly movements in the local population.