Beware! It is not merely an economic threat to Australia and the world. There will be far more serious consequences if the US-China trade war causes significant damage to a Chinese economy that has successfully generated a rapidly-rising middle class enjoying the material benefits of Beijng’s brand of Marxist-capitalism. These multi-millions of urban-living, comfortably-off, consumer-spenders appear generally relaxed about the Communist party’s authoritarian rule – so long as the Yuans keep rolling in to maintain their new-found lifestyle.