Also, if social upheaval disrupts the export machine what  will most large US retailers do?  And what are the possibilities of loss or destruction of foreign capital? In such a situation, what, practically, do their large reserves of US dollars mean?  They have a lot of nukes and delivery systems and the military and communist party are still the two strongest institutions.

They have not used a period of unprecedented prosperity  to develop more articulated social structures as far as I can see.  The rule of law and impartial justice are still pretty much new and foreign concepts. On what can they fall back?  The "Little Red Book"? another "Great Flop Backwards"?  It could get interesting.

"It is not necessary to have hope in order to persevere."