[Last_Historian]

I suspect I am pretty well known here by now, so I won't bother with the intro.

This is my interpretation of the geopolitics of China in a world of limits to growth:

China, The Last Superpower

To quickly, roughly summarize:
* Most of the reasons given for why China's rise to superpowerdom is unsustainable - social and regional inequality, environmental degradation, bad loans, population aging, or social unrest - are either largely false, exaggerated, or true but with significant mitigating factors.
* Coal, CO2, and geopolitics - the three things that will most influence its future trajectory and interaction with the world.
* Relies on coal for growth (and stability), but emits CO2 that will ultimately doom it and doom us all unless it is drastically reduced or we geoengineer our way out of it. Is making attempts at renewable transition, but they are hardly making a dent on emissions and that is unlikely to change drastically any time soon.
* Will intensify neo-colonial efforts to acquire resources to feel its industrial base, helped by its rapid military modernization, influence-building, and emerging blue-water navy.
* Will acquire regional hegemony over East Asia, assuming Japan bandwagons with it which it probably will.
* Next post is about China's internal debates as to how best manage its political, geopolitical, and economic challenges.

[Tanada]

I rather doubt that the PRC, which is well armed and large in military size, is going to care one wit about the rest of the world's opinion of their coal policies.

[Last_Historian]

I rather doubt that the PRC, which is well armed and large in military size, is going to care one wit about the rest of the world's opinion of their coal policies.

There is nothing disputing that in the article.

[rangerone314]

Finally, an LH post I can agree with