Yes, I have a book in front of me titled: The Coming China Wars by Peter Navarro.

Altogether it gives a very bleak description of how the Chinese operate on the world stage--in all sorts of ways.

It also describes how horrible life is for the majority of people in China. It is essentially a vast environmental disaster zone.

Nice piece Chris. Although I've lived in China for quite some time and do have a deep and abiding respect for it, I look at the rise of the current system with both happiness and unease. Happiness for the fact that many people are being lifted out of poverty and unease for, well, you've illuminated that side.

More considerations:

There's the theory China's only being belligerent at the moment to cement the perception that it's opposing foreign requests to revalue the yuan, and soon it will need to or face a dire economic situation.

Ihey may just want to be sure the public don't view them as kowtowing to western requests.

There's other considerations - there's factionalism within the CCP. Hu Jintao faces challenges from a bloc of influential power-brokers from the coast. He's been taking a pretty conservative stand in order to ensure that his succession goals are adhered to.

As for the idea that there are large numbers of educated Chinese circumventing net restrictions, I'd say the number's comparatively small. Political discussion is discouraged in the public sphere, and effectively this leads to very little interest in politics.

Think about it. In Australia, many people's eyes glaze over when the subject is about politics, particularly when people at the table don't know about it.
Add to that the cultural issues associated with losing face if you don't know about the topic, and the fact that it's generally discouraged. Thus you get a large part of the population who know very little about politics or religion. The latter's also concerning, because it makes it easier for religious types to proselytize. Most Chinese don't have the same resistance to being sold ideas in the way people push products.

The lack of interest in politics translates into people being less likely to circumvent internet restrictions - despite the strong push for english education, very few speak it well. Few would actively go online to read english articles, when it's far easier to read them in Chinese. So the vast majority of censored sites are of no interest to the population.

TurnRightThenLeft,

I agree with you about the Internet. I was trying to incoporate some optimism in regard to the literature. I am far less optimistic (although hopeful) about the Internet (and other technology) in authoritarian states.

In Inner Mongolia the Mongolian population is 17% if only Gengis Khan could seen his people living on the edge in there own nation this must be an example of Chinese rules what? waits in stall for the west lets hope they don't end up like the Mongols
Hill Billy

China has benefited from the globalization aberration.Globalization and free trade are dead - good riddance.

Bring on the trade wars and the subsequent shooting wars.They are about the only only chance we have of correcting the overshoot in population and resource exploitation.Homo Saps is not capable of a rational solution.

It amazes me is that the West has ever expected China to play by the rules, still does, it seems, despite evidence to the contrary. I am appalled this naivete is such that the Australian government allows Chinese 'companies' to buy Australian property and into Australian resource companies. That there is no such thing as a truly independent Chinese company, and all commerce decisions are ultimately a matter for government, is commonly understood. So what were our Sinophile PM and his ministers thinking when they thought they could pull off a fair FTA with China? Are they so blinded by the bling of Chinese markets that they will sell our golden geese? They will find its as the moral goes, 'all that glisters ....' and such deals will resemble the junk that passes through our harbours and into our rubbish tips - just pretty bait to reel us in.
Personally, I was chilled to the bone watching the Beijing opening ceremony. Has anyone noticed how simple it seems to raise a demonstration by Chinese in Australia over issues China designates, such as Tibet, when our government strays from the line? And what about the huge 24/7 hacking attacks?
I must hasten to add that my concern has nothing to do with the colour of skin or the configuration of features. Its the cultural ethos of compliance with authority, the totalitarian government and the sheer mass power they can summon that scares me.