The Communist Party’s wish to hang on to the one-party state plays a significant role in contemporary nationalism in China. The current leaders deliberately create the myth that without the Party, China would never have returned to the world stage and that the country’s ‘territorial integrity’ could not be restored. It is not clear where the boundaries of the ‘complete’ China lie. Taiwan is seen as a ‘key interest’, but so is sovereignty on the South China Sea. This course is creating tensions in the region. Washington, too, fears for its geopolitical position. This increases the chance of conflict between the superpowers of the 21^st century. Much will depend on China’s domestic development.