With Kwans unable to buy as much Chinese made plastic shit this year, things could get interesting this year. Personally, I have some high hopes on this one. There are too many Chinese on the planet now.

Imagine the following scene: It's a downtown area where people are walking along, going about their business. Somebody accidentally bumps into somebody. Words are exchanged. An argument ensues, and then a fight. Within a few minutes, crowds are gathering, taking sides, and fighting among themselves. Soon, the security police are called in to restore order. Word spreads quickly, thanks to mobile phones and text messaging. Within a few hours, there are 50,000 people pouring into the region, fighting each as well as the police, and full-scale mass riot ensues.
Has anything like this happened in America, even in the 60s? I can't think of anything. But this kind of thing is happening with increasing frequency, several times a month in different regions of China. In fact, public protests have been skyrocketing, with tens of thousands recorded last year.

http://www.generationaldynamics.com/cgi-bin/D.PL?s=TPPBbm&d=ww2010.i.china050116

Rapid Chinese economic collapse spurs desperation measures A new World Bank report shows rapid deterioration.
Everyone was shocked on Wednesday when the China's central bank lowered interest rates by more than 1% -- the largest decrease since 1977, and the fourth interest rate decrease in just two months.
This comes just two weeks after China announced a gargantuan stimulus package, as unemployment soars and social unrest grows.
China is following a similar path to the U.S., where each failing bailout attempt is followed shortly after by a newer, larger bailout attempt, with absolutely no limit in sight.
The huge, worldwide credit bubble boosted China's economy, just as it boosted America's economy, and now that the credit bubble is leaking, it's pushing China into the same "Great Depression" as the U.S.

http://www.generationaldynamics.com/cgi-bin/D.PL?s=l58rax&d=ww2010.weblog

For Chinese leaders, already worried about social unrest, this is very significant. China's two previous massive crisis wars -- the Taiping Rebellion of the 1850s-60s, and the Communist Revolution of the 1930s-40s -- were both based on massive rebellions from rural areas.
In 2005, I wrote "China approaches Civil War," saying that a civil war is coming with absolute certainty, when economic conditions are right. Those conditions seem to be occurring right now.
(Comments: For reader comments, questions and discussion, see the China thread of the Generational Dynamics forum.)