I am saying that the style of rule has not changed, even with nukes. Nukes simply makes the despots more dangerous outside of the Middle Kingdom. China has gone through periods of expansion before that have been highly aggressive and destructive. Kubilai attempted to conquer Japan and Vietnam.There has been 2500 years of constant occupaton and pressure on SEA. There is no difference in quality between Xi and Kubilai, only in reach.
But that difference in reach makes all the difference.
Attacking an enemy with a nuke is existentially different from past attacks.
No past overthrow of a feudal regime faced such a problem:
the regime can defend itself from internal threats by launching nukes, or threatening to.
The current system works for the Chinese. They have no incentive to change what’s given them economic prosperity, a certain measure of freedom and China about to become a superpower.
Throwing all of that away for Western democracy would be the height of folly.