The Federation of Chinese Republics

WORK IN PROGRESS

The 21st Century was supposed to be China's century. The PRC, running on environment-crushing industrialization and moral-bending greed, had elevated millions from poverty and stood at the brink of becoming a world superpower. China's historical achievements were popularized and the population's nationalism galvanized to direct the massive population towards a stronger, more proactive role for China in the new world. The end result for the Chinese people: years of war, millions of deaths, and entire cities in ruins.

The Pacific War was welcomed by most Chinese as a chance to finally settle long historical grudges and rivalries. The Japanese would be repaid for Nanking and WW2 many times over while the United States would be put in its place. The Taiwanese "splittists" would be severely punished while those who sided with the PRC would be greatly rewarded. The war started out well as the PLA spread across the Western Pacific while China's factories held the world's companies ransom. Attacking China meant cutting off Western supplies of clothing, consumer electronics, and Happy Meal toys. At the start of hostilities, most nations logged stern condemnations but little else. Large corporations with huge invesments in China such as General Motors and Wal-Mart lobbied Congress to remain neutral for fear of hurting their bottom lines. It would take a PLA mistake to finally bring the United States into the war.

Anti-Japanese emotions have run high in China for decades. People who were for most of history seen by the Chinese as mere barbarians had greatly embarrased the Chinese during WW2 and due to US interference, Japan did not provide enough reperations or apologies. Jingoistic elements within the PLA leadership convinced Beijing to strike at and occupy the Senkaku/Diaoyu Island Chain. This action would be a huge propaganda coup for the people while securing vital energy resources for the PLA war machine. Japan's response was expected, such a move directly threatened Okinawa and the JSDF responded with American-backed force.

The Pacific War would bring disaster for China as the US military's technological superiority allowed it to bombard China almost at will. A controversial plan to decapitate China's economic strength by fuel-air bombing massive parts of Shanghai mirrored the firebombing of Dresden during WW2. Important PLA bases and supply depots, long observed by US satellites were relentlessly hit. The stubborn PLA leadership scored several victories, including the surprise sinking of a US aircraft carrier, but could not win in the end. Beijing was split between a larger moderate group calling for a quick surrender to stem already horrific losses while a hardliner group advocated the escalation to nuclear warfare. Before such nightmares could be implemented, most of the PLA laid down their arms. The hardliners and their supporters quickly established themselves in the remote northwest along with several nukes and ICBMs. The surrender of the PLA and the Beijing moderates lead to the fall of the Chinese Communist Party. Mao's experiment in Chinese socialism had only lasted around 60 years.

In return for keeping out large numbers of US occupiers, a republic was established under domestic and international help. Overseas Chinese who fled China due to political reasons flocked back to lend a hand in bringing freedom to China. The Republic of China established by Sun Yat-Sen was seen as a political goal and the RoC flag was adopted as the new standard of China. Also created was the Federation of Chinese Republics which strives to emulate the EU and combine the Chinese states in the region. While the FCR dominates China's foreign affairs, domestic affairs are of paramount concern.

The rebuilding of a war-torn China continues to this day. Shanghai is once again China's economic capital while modern technologies and post-war aid has helped rebuild the interior. Despite the current trend of economic growth, most of the population disagrees with the transitional government on several major issues.

The environment is a major concern for the current administration. However, this conflicts with a traditional lack of interest in ecological concerns within the Chinese population. Factory owners and industrial managers often break environmental rules with only the central government caring enough to try to enforce environmental rules. Another major issue within the populace is the heavy military spending. The people are tired of war and the old notion that a strong military was good for the national image has long faded. Though people understand the need to maintain a strong military presence along the border with the Mao remnants, large protests have welcomed the announcement of an orbital weapons program. Income tax is at 100% and fiscal complaints and even violence has spilled onto the streets. Why the government is focusing on extravagent military spending (much of which is strictly offensive in nature) and environmental protection to the detriment of the weak economy is beyond most people. Things will surely change once the current administration ends its transitional period in several years.