Can China control its own territory, much less project itself overseas to control Taiwan?

As one who has lived in both countries, as well as living in the US, I can say from my experience and perspective that the majority of people in China don't follow the rules the way they are written. They do what they want so long as they don't get caught. The thing is that every country in the world , to some degree has the exact same flaw. People. People are basically stupid sheep. An individual can be and will be quite intelligent or average (there are exceptions to this rule and the xenophobic troll that hides behind celebrity names is one of those exceptions), and individuals given individual freedom will work better and produce better than one who is oppressed so heavily that he doesn't even believe that he is living.

Since this is a China based Q, I will answer from my view on China as someone currently on the mainland.

You say that they have no control with in the boarders, to an extent that is what I have seen, People will cheat one another, every one lives in fear of being robbed (both men and women wear backpacks on their chests, no one leaves anything unattended for longer than it takes to turn around, stuff like this.) There is an 20 store building near where I live that has security bars on the outside of a window that only open from the top and folds in my first guess was to keep people from doing a 20 floor swan dive but it was explained to me that it is to keep thieves out. Seriously 20 stories up and they worry about someone breaking in through the window. People are worried about the safety of their food. They don't trust the markets, because they don't know if the food in the supermarket is fresh or has been sitting out for 3 days. And quiet frankly I can understand this worry because there is a lack of concern for hygiene and sanitation when it comes to meats.

When they go to buy a house they can't trust the advertisements because the Realtor will hang images of sold houses, houses from 3 years ago, and prices that are either a joke or just a ruse to attract people. Sure, other countries have similar practices but when you call a realtor in the US and ask about an apartment or a house they can give you a price range and if later you arrive and they tell you that has is gone you can complain to someone and they will do something about it. In China there is no one to complain to. I have been told by the locals that if you meet with a robber if you meet with a crooked realtor, if you meet with a foods from X store that is bad because it sat out for 2 days and you go to the police or go to a proper government official they will tell you to go home or write a report that is filed in the round receptacle on the floor as soon as you leave (read the trash can).

So the internal problem has more to do with the fact there is no one to keep the people in order, to make sure that people are doing what they should and do it by the letter of the law.

Sure there are fewer crimes reported than in other countries because no one dares to report them since no one will do anything about it. And those who are caught are severely punished to the point that the fear spreads into the general population and everyone is just afraid of their own shadows. Don't talk about this don't read about that, don't go to this website, don't use this service, don't blah blah blah. It really is oppressive when you look at the whole picture. Maybe the individual might not feel it so hard but as a society it is a heavy burden to carry.

Can the lack of control spread outward to the surrounding neighbors? Just look to the south China Sea, look to the events of last year with the fishing boat event, just look at the boards of India Pakistan and other countries. Of course it can and will spread out, its just a matter of time before it becomes a problem that can't be ignored any longer. Even now there are a lot of little voices that are crying out for th UN and the US to do something.

Like Prada said the US is the most powerful country at the moment, and we didn't get this way by sitting on our thumbs, we proved ourselves in combat, and then proved ourselves in the global economy, we proved ourselves in global politics. And I will be the first to admit that there have been some bad choices made along the way and some stupid policies and one president who should be jailed and that the US has its share of corruption and internal strife but the difference is that when there is a problem there is someone to go to. It might take 10 20 100 1000 or more people to make the change but change can happen and happens often.

I guess China is doing the best it can with a crippled culture and a fascist government. It's changing rapidly now... some for better, some for worse. <--- An Answer to the Question.

[The roadies would like to pack up your soapbox now. Thanks.]

@Ape - 1) Taiwan is not China; 2) There are more Chinese (you, for an example) living in the USA and Canada than there are Americans and Canadians living in China and Taiwan. Go home!

EDIT: I don't understand your math logic. With four times the population in China, they should accept four times as many immigrants. Agree? Or is China only "in the business of exporting its burden to others'?

This isn't a question, if I posted this my account will be deleted already.

You can believe in what you like about democracy and edit a million books on democracy.

The fact of the situation is that every one of China's golden age was under an autocratic government.

It is also a fact a wise autocratic government is more efficient than multiple parties.

It is also a fact an autocratic government is essential during difficult times and war, just like the UK nationalized many private companies during ww2.

Different cultures function differently and each has its own merits.

I am educated in the west, but I prefer an autocratic government.

I prefer rapist gets executed than release on bail. I prefer dead prisoners to have their healthy organs harvested for those in need. I prefer individuals get executed when they refuse to sell their house that is blocking the construction of a national highway. I prefer to bombard every Muslim rebel to death and flatten the town to solve the problem once for all than to avoid civilians which will cause more terrorism.

This must be hard for you to comprehend.

Your books only influence the naive.

Those in power make decisions, and power always come out the barrel of a gun.

Right now that's America, and America is always right whether you like it or not.

Human nature never changes, whether its 600 years or 10,000 years.

Why don't you go and publish a million books on democracy, and I go make a million dollars. Only time will tell who is right.

EDIT: everything must be regulated by some degree. A complete free market is impossible and same with the internet. CCP may be over paranoid and over regulate the internet, this will be the correct term. Complete freeddom on the internet does not exist in reality by any government. Freedom and innovation can thrive under a wise autocratic government. Chinese people today have more freedom than Tang and Ming dynasty, when China's technology and wealth is unrivaled on a global scale. An autocratic government must create the environment for them to flourish. Just like in a company, a wise CEO will let its Manager to manage his department without interference, even though there is only one leader. This is what China must first do. Whether CCP is doing the right thing, I don't know.

China projects its power overseas frequently. this is why the usa had to overthrow the governments of japan, thailand, sudan, and libya. if not for the u.s. weapons, aggression, and terror, most countries would gravitate towards China. this is why the usa needs 800 military bases worldwide to control people through the use of force. matt, when did you switch jobs from cia agent to text book editor?

Thanks for telling us, but we already know our own problems and working on it, we don't need a Canadian living in Taiwan to tell us.

No other country can solve the ''feeding 1.4 billion people'' problem like China does.

Remember when Chiang Kai shek retreated to Taiwan, he said ''now the burden of feeding 450 million people is on Mao's shoulders''? He felt relieved when he left. To me, China is already doing a great job. You can't expect 1.4 billion people all become middle class suddenly, can you?

Yeah, the thumbs down, of course...

If Cananda is so great, why do you choose to live in Taiwan permanently?

If USA is so great, why does WNL choose to live in Taiwan permanently?

WNL:

''There are more Chinese (you, for an example) living in the USA and Canada than there are Americans and Canadians living in China and Taiwan.''----is only because there are MUCH more Chinese in the world than people in USA. 1.4 BILLION chinese vs. 300 million American and only, what, like 30 million Canadian? Of course there are much more Chinese living in north America than there are north American living in china and taiwan.

And last I checked, USA is an immigrant country, everyone there is an immigrant or a product of an immigrant except native Americans. I have neighbors here who are from Danmark, Ireland, France, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Columbia, Scotland, Holland, Singapore, Korea, China, Japan, Hongkong, Malaysia, Philipines, Serbia, Afganistan, Iran, Canada, Mexico.....the list goes on, i've talked to all these people living near me, they are all Americans(maybe some are not US citizens yet but most are). China, on the other hand, is NOT an immigrant country, foreigners can't even become Chinese citizens even when they are married with Chinese. We have 5000 years of history, we have A LOT of people of our own. USA only was a new continent discovered several hundreds years ago. All my neighbors in China are all Chinese, none is foreign.