Almost all the former top leaders of Beijing's municipal government have been proved guilty of corruption, and this pervasive corruption is just the tip of the iceberg. For anyone who knows China's long history of collapsed dynasties and upheavals triggered by corruption, the idea that the most pervasive corruption in China's history could somehow, this time, result in enduring stability is an incredible one. Although China has departed from Maoist and Marxist orthodoxy, the one party system and rule by individuals remains. As well as issuing direct threats, the CCP authorities turned to nationalism to legitimize maintaining what is essentially a state of war in the Taiwan Straits. It would be naive to think that the possibility of hostilities in the Straits is over.
China continues arms sales to radical regimes.
We should not forget that the first decision made by Deng when he took power and began his reforms in 1979 was to start a war with Vietnam. The probability of a real war in the Taiwan Straits is not lower now, but higher, than ten years ago. Finally, we should remember that the most typical source of chaos in a monolithic, totalitarian state is power struggles among its top leaders. This is a dangerous game with no holds barred. The turmoil during the Cultural Revolution of the 1960's and 1970's shows the depths to which China can sink in the course of such struggles for power.