It’s the only country I’ve ever visited that left me feeling physically and spiritually soiled, and very glad to leave. You can keep it.
I worked there on and off from 1994 to 2008 and had a fantastic time. When I first arrived there it was only just starting to get into gear. Continuous roadworks and massive holes in the scenery where basic necessities like power, water and sewers where going in. In the late nineties the fareast slump happened and then the scenery was full of concrete skeletons. This didn't last long and in the 21st Century I saw a country expand at a mind boggling rate.
We are talking about a country that can build 30,000 kilometres of expressways in a decade, conurbations for 30,000 people in five years. Since Deng Xiaou Ping opened up China 1/2 billion people have become the new middle class. In the country there is still another 1/2 billion staring at a communal television and seeing all the high life in the cities and asking "when is it my turn?" That is the Chinese government's problem and after that, in fifteen years, there will be another 1/4 billion asking the same question.
GROSS NATIONAL PRODUCT is the alter that Beijing has to kneel to. Anything that upsets that is a major disaster. It is unbelievable the they would deliberately engineer Covid 19 which would, at whatever level, upset economic activity. Especially just before Chinese New Year where half the population is miles away from their normal place of work. GNP is paramount and they are not going to upset that by going into any international adventure which might effect the flow of goods and services.
Taiwan is a thorn in the side. It reminds them that the War of Liberation is not complete. Invade it using force? Forget it. The majority of Chinese have been born to a new China and they would not tolerate Chinese killing Chinese and anybody who thinks that Beijing can ignore that feeling is dreaming.
Even though life has improved beyond recognition for a large part of Chine they still have some stupid rules and regulations thrown at them on a whim. It would help if all provinces followed the same rule book but they don't. What is perfectly acceptable in one part of China is a heinous crime in another.
China has a long History of being pushed about, certainly in the 19th and early 20th century.. It had major cities taken over by foreign countries administered and policed by them. A lot of this was self inflicted with a corrupt Imperial Court run by Queen Victoria's opposite number Tzu Hsi. Having pulled out of the chaos that was the legacy of Mao Tse Tung China is flexing its muscles and restoring what it thinks is its position in the world.
With 1/5th of the worlds population the it is entitled to.