People's Republic of China

The "5 Star flag", the flag of the People's Republic of China

### Status

Regional Power (2000-2039)Hyperpower (2039-2042) Superpower (2042-2067) Dissolved (Post-2067)

### Ideology

Socialism with Chinese Characteristics, Surveillance Ideology, Mild Transhumanism

### Succeded by

Chinese Heavenly Kingdom (After dissolution in 2067)

### Interesting Fact

By 2067, the reported Chinese population was estimated to be 300 million above the estimated actual population.

The **People's Republic of China** was a nation located in East Asia, and which had an extremely important role during the Interwar Period, and was one of the main combatants in both the 3rd and 4th World Wars. It was allied with the Eurasian Union and Iran as part of the First Continental Coalition, before splitting off in the Sino-Russian split, and rejoining the Eurasian Union in the 2nd Continental Coalition before finally dissolving with the start of the 2nd Chinese Civil War in 2067.

## Pre-Unravelling (Pre-2022)

China had been a rising power in the Neoliberal World order that had a great amount of influence prior to the 2022 Unravelling. Points of departure from our own timeline includes the repealing of the 1 child policy in the year 2000, as well as heavier market reforms and more pre-emptive action on the Housing Bubble. This largely ensured that headed into 2022, China was stronger than it was in our own timeline. China had become the 2nd largest economy, surpassing Japan in 2009.

Despite this, wolf-warrior diplomacy with most of China's neighbors would see them confined by the "First Island Chain", where China had been isolated by a chain of South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, and Vietnam. China had few successes making friends, as their hostile and often imperialist nature alienated them from potential friends. China did have two key successes though, making an alliance with Russia, and later Iran to form the First Continental Coalition, with a shared enemy in the United States and the Neoliberal world system.

So when the Unravelling did happen, and the foundation of the Neoliberal world order were broken, China and its allies were in the best position to capitalize on the fall of West.

## Second Gulf War (2022-2024)

Main Article: Second Gulf War

Despite this, China was not immune from the consequences of a breakdown in global trade. One of these consequences was the fact that China had sourced most of their oil from the Persian Gulf. Shortly after the Unravelling, the Second Gulf War would begin between Iran and Saudi Arabia, with Iran blocking access to the Strait of Hormuz, grinding the flow of oil to a halt. The United States, by this point energy independent and adopting an isolationist posture under the Biden Administration chose not to intervene, not wanting to risk thousands of American lives. With the largest player out of the picture, it fell to the 2nd largest player to intervene. China depended on the Persian Gulf for the majority of its oil imports, and intervened on the side of the Saudis in order to protect their flow of energy.

Though their navy was still inferior in strength to the American navy, they had invested more in the navy than in our timeline, leading to a capable and powerful blue water navy that was second only to the Americans. Chinese intervention in the Persian Gulf began in October 2022, with Chinese soldiers landing and fighting Iranian soldiers shortly afterwards. The Chinese navy started a constant blockade and occupation of the Persian Gulf from 2022 to 2024, with sporadic attacks from the Iranians hindering the export of oil. China also exerted increasing control of Saudi Arabia, who had obviously been abandoned by their previous American protectors. This was also the beginning of the Black Sands Corporation, a Chinese oil and gas giant subordinate to the greater China National Petroleum Corporation.

The war finally ended in 2024 with a negotiated peace with Russia as a mediator. The Chinese would give security guarantees to Saudi Arabia, in exchange for Saudi Arabia giving numerous concessions to the Iranians, and to be closely monitored and controlled by the Chinese government. Iran would continue as an independent nation with greatly expanded leeway, and a neutered Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia was forced to become a Chinese satellite state, under the thumb of the Black Sands Corporation and the greater CNPC. It was a widely known agreement that the Russians would supervise and be responsible for the Iranians, while the Chinese would take responsibility for Saudi Arabia.

## Pre-War Period (2024-2029)

The conclusion of the 2nd Gulf War was the creation of the First Continental Coalition, a military alliance which spanned much of Eurasia, with its founding main members being the Russian Union State, China, and Iran. With secondary members in Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and Serbia. The secret aim of the First Continental Coalition would be to eventually break out of the Western encirclement of both Russia and China, and the establishment of a multipolar world order. With France leaving NATO, and members such as Spain, Italy, Greece and Turkey falling into chaos, NATO had been put in a severely weakened position, while China's economy continued to grow. The continued success of the Chinese economy allowed the Chinese to surpass the American economy by 2029, and exerting increasing pressure to break out of the encirclement based around the First Island Chain.

China was able to successfully transition itself into a consumption based economy by 2030, weaning off investment, though under the leader of Xi Jinping, leveraged their real estate bubble to create the illusion of more economic growth. The Chinese consumer market had transformed itself into the richest consumer market in the world, surpassing that of the United States. China's economic strategy largely emulated that of Japan and South Korea before them, the government propping up pre-chosen "winners" who would be supported by the government and grow to enormous sizes. Though the Chinese government would exert more control over its state-sponsored megacorporations than the Koreans over the chaebols and the Japanese and their Zaibatsus. Everything for the sake of economic growth.

Having a slightly more hands off approach to the economy, Xi Jinping (in a complete character break from our own timeline) largely allowed these large corporations to make decisions for themselves, so long as they kept the engine of Chinese economic growth going. The "Big 5" Chinese banks would become influential players in the Chinese economy, sometimes looking out for their own interests separate from the central government. In Shenzhen and Shanghai, power developed around the rising tech giants of China; Tencent, Alibaba, JD, Baidu, and many others. These companies would often carve up the cities around them into miniature fiefdoms, neighbors reserved only for employees of a specific company, where employees were encouraged to move into, lived, slept, ate, and were surveilled every moment of their lives. Despite the media largely being dominated by the news of the tech giants, the largest company in China was actually an insurance company called Ping An, which was headquartered in Beijing, and employed a large amount of people across the city.

### The Silk Road Trade Organization (2024)

Following its rapid expansion of its Belt and Road Initiative, a scheme largely made to help inflate the Chinese economic figures, and to create valuable infrastructure around the Middle East and Africa, China formalized the organization of countries participating in the Belt and Road Initiative by creating the Silk Road Trade Organization. An economic trade union meant to better facilitate Chinese infrastructure investment and act as a diplomatic forum for countries involved in the Belt and Road scheme.

### Chinese Red Spring Protests, Rise of the Sinopunk Movement (2026)

The Chinese Red Spring, or 红春 (Hóng Chūn) in Chinese, had largely been inspired by similar leftist demonstrations in the West, and largely came as a reaction to the rising power of the megacorporations, as well as increasingly harsh work hours. The so called "996" schedule (9 AM to 9 PM, 6 days a week) had become widespread, and was even considered a highly desirable schedule by many students. Taking elements from Marxist socialism, anti-work movements such as Tangping and Bailan, and Western ideals of worker's co-ops and democracy. They believed in a kind of democratic socialism, and that current the current Chinese economic system ran contrary to the spirit of Chinese socialism, and youth protests erupted in many of the major cities. The Red Spring Protests continued in several cities, disrupting the economy and blocking traffic. Millions were involved in the largest protests seen since Tiananmen Square. The Protests eventually fizzled out with increasing internet censorship preventing the protestors from organizing, and harsh police crackdowns on the protestors, and mass arrest of the movement's leaders. However, some of the leaders would survive, and the events of the Red Spring would eventually form the foundation of the later Sinopunk Movement.

### Rising Ultranationalism

The 2020's and 2030's would be a era of rising nationalism within China. Often intertwined with greater Chinese national pride, Chinese ultranationalism eventually gained influence and later dominance over the Chinese Communist Party. The intensification of the repression of the Uighurs, the continuing rise of China on the global stage, the general upwards trajectory of Chinese nationalism more generally, and the declining share of Han as a percentage of the Chinese population due to the one child policy, were all factors which led to the proliferation and eventually intensification of Chinese ultranationalism.

## Hyperhuman Program (2029-2035)

In contrast to the De-Digitalization Movement of the West, China went into almost the opposite direction. With what was translated as the Hyperhuman Project (超人计划, Chāorén jìhuà, literally Superhuman Plan) China wished to integrate its population much further than anything the Western tech giants could have possibly dreamed of. The Hukou system was greatly expanded to include all kinds of sensitive information, sent into a database with all the information for closer monitoring. China became a mass surveillance state in the urban cities, with every street covered with a camera. The countryside was ransacked for people and pushed into the cities, and the rest of China fell into even further poverty.

Microchips were implemented in people's right hands as well as their foreheads, linked to the national ID system and a person's credit cards. Chinese currency went increasingly digital, not to ease transactions, but to allow the Chinese government to better monitor their citizens. All internet traffic, all messages, anything you did or said was filtered into a colossal program known as the Firewall Algorithm. Through this, China ruthlessly quelled dissent, China kept control, and China was able to drip feed its population a steady supply of performance enhancing drugs. So they could work longer, work faster, all at the cost of their long term health. Everything for the sake of economic growth.

Uneasy relations continued with Taiwan, who was becoming increasingly dominated by TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company), who by this point had de-facto joined the ranks of China's tech giants, with the minor caveat that it was located in Taiwan. But almost everyone knew that China was now dependent on Taiwanese semi-conductors, now more than ever before. Yet Chinese nationalism was rising, and there was a growing determination to take back what was rightfully China's.

### Neocolonialism

By 2029, China had ramped up its Belt and Road initiative and was pursuing an aggressive form of neocolonialism in order to secure its source of natural resources through a "chain of pearls" string of colonies stretching from China to East Africa. Having already established colonial satellite states in the Arabian Peninsula, China would come to create other colonies in Sri Lanka, Eritrea, and one of its few true allies in Pakistan. A Chinese attempt to take over the nation of Singapore had been thwarted thanks to coordinated attempts from ASEAN. In one of the first truly unified moves done by the alliance. By 2029, China was in need of water and mineral resources, both of which it believed it could obtain by creating colonial ventures in East Africa. China had negotiated a share of the water taken from the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam (GERD) in exchange for additional funding and Chinese loans to help finish the project. This was seen with a rise in Chinese influence in Ethiopia, as Chinese businesses and construction companies set up shop and took over more of Ethiopia's infrastructure.
Large amounts of water taken from Lake Victoria, as well as the Blue Nile were transported back to China to alleviate the ongoing Chinese Water crisis, often taken through coercion and at the cost of the native African communities. Chinese companies took up increasingly large amounts of control, destroying local African businesses and using the lands for resource extraction. Relations between the native African populations and China worsened as the years continued, and a new era of Neocolonialism settled across Africa.

### The Chinese Economic Bubble

Even with the more optimistic trajectory painted for China compared to our own timeline, China was still undergoing problems by the early 2030's. The reforms by Hu Jintao had not eradicated the upcoming crisis, only delayed it. By 2030, the Chinese Housing Bubble was still going strong, the rural countryside was emptied to create more people to buy new homes. Households, corporations and governments alike had taken a huge amount of debt to cash in on the housing boom as well as stimulate economic growth. But by 2030, the Chinese economy was fueled by a speculative housing bubble. Birthrates had also declined, and the Chinese population had started declining, leading to China simply fudging the numbers.

By the year 2034, it was clear that something drastic needed to be done in order to continue inflating the Chinese economic bubble any further. The ongoing Water and Pollution crisis had created unrest in the society unlike anything said before. The Youth Unemployment Crisis had ballooned into a full blown social movement against the government, with more and more people joining the Sinopunk Movement. And in this moment, Xi Jinping decided the best way to rally the Chinese anger away from the Chinese government, was to direct it at a foreign government.

### The Chinese Dream

Around this time, President Xi Jinping would talk about a Chinese Dream. Similar to the American Dream, it posited a future where China was prosperous, rich, and positioned at the center of the world. Just like they always were in ancient history, where they rightfully should be. Ingrained intoe the very name they called themselves, the Middle Kingdom (Zhong Guo), that place was reserved for China, and only China. And they sold a dream where China was back in its rightful position, and Xi Jinping sold the Chinese people on restoring a long ancient dream.

## World War 3 (2035-2039)

More information: World War 3

World War 3 was perhaps one of the worst times to be living in urban China up until that point. The rising dragon had been catching up to the declining eagle for a while now, but with their demographic issues about to hit a crescendo, they decided it was now or never. All of China's economic engines were put on maximum, the factories would beat with the force of 1 billion hearts. The Chinese Dream would be realized. The past didn't matter, the present didn't matter, one chance to rectify their mistakes for all time. Working conditions worsened, hours became longer, and they drip fed their entire population with performance enhancing drugs. Pollution only got worse as global energy supplies got worse, and China was forced to burn coal. Rows of empty concrete buildings replaced once vibrant rural communities. Once green fields turned a sickly gray. The rivers were now no longer safe to swim in, much less drink, now contaminated and churning with pollution.

China's main opponents in the war were America's West Pacific Allies, as well as America's own navy. Xi Jinping blamed the Americans and their "cabal" of Asia-Pacific allies for suckling off the prosperity of the Chinese people. He accused them of using market manipulations to stagnate the economy, of a coordinated attack to destroy and eradicate China. And that now more than ever, the Chinese people would have to stand together as a nation, or die. The Chinese people were told to eat bitterness, as China staked everything to win the 3rd World War. The national heartbeat pulsed together like a great war drum, again and again, sending tremors across the entire world. The anger of the Chinese was roused and directed at the foreign nationals.

As standards of living dropped for the average Chinese person. As the water shortages grew worse, as agriculture began to fail across China, and rations were reduced, as pollution became so solid it choked the air, more and more hatred was necessarily directed at the enemy across the sea. But especially at the Japanese. All of the outputs of the nation were headed for war, and the terrifying manufacturing capacity of the Chinese nation was directed towards creating weapons that killed. In the coming months, a joint invasion by the Chinese and North Koreans were able to overrun the defenses of South Korea. With a heinous amount of deaths taking place, trapped in the barbed wire of the DMZ. Taiwan was broken and sieged down like an island fortress, the proud Taiwanese defenders fighting for every peace of land. Every city, every jungle, but eventually, they surrendered by the end of 2036. The casualties were high, the Americans were trying to contain China while also handling another front in Europe, which was also breaking down.

In India, A rebellion by the Indian Naxalites, funded by Chinese weapons and the Chinese military industrial complex, dragged them out of the war. Saving China from one huge potential wildcard, and saving them from a war which would have been the deadliest in human history. The Chinese navy had successfully driven the American navy out of the East China Sea, by 2037, they captured Guam, the overwhelming industrial capacity of China had overwhelmed the American eagle's ability to respond. Though by all means, America was ready to sign peace and concede the conflict, there was one last island in the way of China's dream of Asian domination. And with that, China began the air war for Japan. It was not for practical reasons, it was not for strategic reasons. It was only emotional, in the irrational way human emotions can be sometimes.

The final battle of the 3rd World War was about to begin.

### Air War over Japan

By the year 2039, only one fortress of pro-American resistance remained in East Asia. The Island of Japan, a mountainous fortress still held by a pro-American government. The United States had aimed to sign a peace treaty at this point, but as the days wore on, it became clear that China was not interested in peace. Not yet. Russia had already secured their gains in Europe, securing everything from the border of Russia to the Rhine. The Americans threw everything they could at defending Japan. Relocating the last of the American air force, sending every carrier they could, all in on a defense of Japan.

Japanese people hid inside deep fortified bunkers, as air raid sirens sounded day and night. It was a clash of giants, one last fight for the fate of Japan. The might of the world's steel was concentrated on this one island, locals would hide in basements and cellars, seeing a war in the skies, and ruined planes rained down like fireflies. From the air a rain of debris would rain down on Japan. The Chinese would intentionally target civilian centers, trying to cause as much damage to the Japanese civilian population as possible, while the Americans, and the ragged remains of the Japanese airforce desperately tried to play defense. Slowly, but surely, the Chinese slowly ground down the Americans, finally pushing them out, and forcing the American navy and airforce to retreat.

The Americans, exhausted began seeking peace negotiations with the Chinese. the American eagle was exhausted and was ready to throw in the towel. But the Chinese were not interested in negotiations. Many years of anti-Japanese propaganda had turned this war into a war of Chinese national rejuvenation, for national revenge. There was a reason they had targeted the civilian centers, and so close to the war's end, the Chinese would enact one of the worst attrocities of the early 21st century.

### The 14 Day Standoff (2039)

It all began with Nagasaki Massacre. A mass amphibious invasion of Japan across every coastal city had started. And a mass killing began, spurred on by the Chinese ultranationalists, demanding retribution for historical wrongdoings. Even though the war had gone on for 4 years, and all sides had seen their fair share of attrocities, the reports coming out of Japan had reached another level, crossing multiple lines the world had hoped the war would not cross. Massacres of civilians, deployment of bioweapons, accusations of ethnic cleansing. The sheer carnage was able to singlehandedly kick the American population from exhausted pacifists back into being bloodthirsty jingoists, who seeing the images on their screens, demanded the United States stay in the war, if only to save the Japanese from this horrendous fate.

American aircraft carriers went from power projection roles to humanitarian evacuation of the civilian population. Flying under white flags, trying to evacuate as many people as possible, the Chinese still fired on them, intentionally targeting ships trying to carry out an emergency evacuation. At this point, the Japanese government was on the verge of collapse, with a third of the National Diet already dead. And with their dying breath, they executed their final backup plan. The Japanese had been enriching plutonium since the beginning of the war, and now, the last act of the Japanese government was to buy as much time as possible for everyone who remained on the Japanese home islands. Tactical nukes were detonated over the cities of Japan, taking out many of the occupied areas and killing hundreds of thousands of Chinese soldiers, as well as millions of Japanese civilians.

The Americans, now deciding enough was enough, warned China to back down now, or they would have to face the full power of the American nuclear arsenal. The nuclear arsenal was put up to Defcon 2, and the arsenals of the two superpowers were primed and readied for the first time in many years. The world stared into oblivion, and so began the 14 day standoff. The massacres stopped, the war went quiet, and the world fell silent as two giants, up to their waist in gasoline, threatened to light the match that would kill them both.

The standoff lasted 14 days, during which emergency negotiations were going on between the United States, China, and Russia, as the world stood on the brink of the apocalypse. America demanded an end to the war, China wanted nothing less than unconditional annihilation of the Japanese homeland. Finally, it was Russia who broke the stalemate, siding with the United States, and arming its own nukes and demanding China back down and sign a peace agreement. Completely outmatched, facing 10,000 total nuclear warheads against China's 500, the Chinese were forced to back down. This would greatly sour Sino-Russian relations, and was seen as a stab in the back by the Chinese.

After 14 excruciating days, the 14 Day Standoff came to an end, and the world powers would negotiate a peace.

## Chinese Golden Age (2039-2040's)

The Chinese Golden Age refers to a brief period of time between 2039 and 2042

wip add ideas:

- CHRONIC social media addiction

- extreme overdigitized society

- skynet afterlife

- great han movement. han chauvinism, traditionalist, but after prc collapses

1. ↑ Revelation 13:16-17:

"And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads:

And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name."