Shijan Ping's Utility Function Is Quite Simple

The reason that the tiwan issue loomd so large is actually very simple. Shijan ping committed himself to bringing tiwan under the control of bejing as the capstone of his own career. That was why he persuaded a the leadership of the c c p to give him an extension of power, essentially a lifelong position as president. Everything hinges on this move, in his own mind, because it's the key to his personal power. The demographics, the debt dynamics, the fact that t that 29 % or so of economic activity are basically no longer sustainable. They're going to a much slower growth rate over the next five years. And therefore nationalism is the key.