...Conflict in the Future? What do you think? Is there a risk that with China becoming richer, and more influential on the international political arena, that a military conflict will eventually ensue between the East and the West?
It is far more likely there will be military action with Taiwan. Keep in mind China needs the west for their purchasing power as much as we need China for the cheap manufacturing. They don't need to flex their muscles and upset the situation.
i'm sure no matter how the leadership turns, the Chinese military will always remember how much the nation had suffered in war, hence a war is not likely to happen unless china is either under attack or has a desperate need.
China is still considered a developing nation despite their economic growth. Western nations still send humanitarian aid there. Their enormous population creates big domestic pressures.