Re: "That will not only make the world a less safe place"
"They're a nation of makers and traders, all they want to do is sell their wares and earn a living from it,"
Actually they're a nation of scientists and inventors, with a lot of stuff we take for granted in the fabric of our society being chinese in origin (even the gun/cannon - Genghis Khan brought those to Europe).
For some reason the chinese turned politically inward just before the industrial revolution, but technologically they were more advanced than the west until the 19th century.
They've been playing catchup for the last 50 years after having their shoelaces tied together by other powers, but now they're back and they're ready to develop and trade with all comers.
Incidentally what has been the biggest economic driver over the last 4-5000 years has been access to cheap energy (slaves, then steam, then electricity). China's R&D into civil nuclear energy (and particularly its molten salt investments) is set to make it the world's superpower for the next century when it translates that into economic modular reactors for developing countries to power _their_ economic miracles in the face of carbon restrictions.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
