[BillCompton]

There are two kinds of power in China, business and government.
Though I am by no means an expert, I would question this. <snip>

This information comes from a book I read a few years ago. (I don't recall the title now.) There are definately free enterprise businessmen who operate more or less autonomously from the Chinese government. Something like 90% of the money is concentrated along the major cities near ports. Most of the rest of the country is poor and backwards. This area (the inland part) is controlled by Bejing firmly. It is my understanding that the businessmen who create most of the wealth operate with a wink and a nod and the government leaves them alone for the most part. But you definately have affluent people running things. It is impossible to do what China is doing under a Stalinist regime.

[tallhappy]

Bill....?

Putting your money where your mouth is, as it were?

[Quix]

A lot of truth in that.

And money still talks big in China as it always has except for some years after the Long March. . . and perhaps after the cultural revolution.

But Beijing still has the capacity to close down virtually any enterprise and take it's leaders out and shoot them. And they don't exactly hesitate much if they decide to do it.

Corruption is still a huge problem. And the government doesn't really know how to deal with it because it's so rife with it. Alliances are still the way most things are done.