Diplomatically, China covets dominion over all of Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific, with the role of Japan, South Korea and even India being “tag-alongs.” They clearly will want the US Navy out in a decade.
Politically (internally) they have opened the eyes of a billion people to the possibilities of “the good life” of material comforts. They will be under increasing internal pressure to keep the people happy with material goods in order to keep them repressed politically, although China does not have any real tradition of being an open political society.
Economically, in order to keep the lid on domestic tranquility, the Chinese have to continue to fuel their economic boom. That will drive their political/diplomatic imperial expansion. Sooner or later, I see China clashing with Russia over the raw materials located in Siberia. The Chinese and Russians have a longer tradition of hatred than they do of alliance. If there will be a major war in our future, the clash could be between those two nations over Siberia.
Just me spinning some fantasies here. Like I can predict the future; those Powerball numbers I pick still haven’t panned out either.
As wages rise, it will be difficult to continue the boom unless more Chinese mover into the service sector as in Hong Kong or Taiwan.
You’re right about the growing dissatisfaction amongst the Chinese populace, especially as more Chinese are allowed to travel. It’s quite possible they will follow Communist nations like Poland if they don’t get a grip on corruption, probably the Number One complaint of average Chinese.
China never really had a strong, steady central government until the Communist takeover of 1949. The Republic, established in 1911, followed a weak Qing Dynasty ruled by Manchus. The Republic was plagued by weakness as well and had to co-opt numerous warlords. The Nationalists, who arguably, won the Civil War of the 1920s were weakened by the shifting allegiances of some of the warlords and by the Sino-Japanese War 1937-1945.
China could also eventually battle against some of their southern neighbors and The Philippines for the Spratley Islands since there are natural resouces there.