I would agree on the nuke thing. I also agree on the economic point, but the problem with tying yourself into the global market like China is that aiding socialist revolutions around the globe becomes very taboo. If China started arming the Philippine Maoists and like European communist parties or something, the global community would definitely try to retaliate via sanctions and diplomatic isolation, more so than they are already doing that currently.

So, in the 40s-80s it felt like every 5 years a new government became socialist, because the USSR was openly committed to sponsoring revolutions. We will never see that ever again, because China has no motivation to arm rebels in a country when they can just trade with the current administration. Kinda sad

So it’s kinda like a stalemate, the US can’t destroy China because they trade with them, but China can’t weaken the US by aiding socialists in other countries

The Chinese nuke arsenal is relatively small as it happens