Canton Confederation

The Canton Confederation is one of the four major splinter states resulting from the former People's Republic of China. Consisting of the former provinces of Guangdong, Hunan, Jiangxi, and Fujian, as well as the city-state of Macao, the Confederation is the most economically powerful of the former Chinese states. However, its weak-confederation system often leads to political infighting, resulting in an incoherent and sometimes self-contradicting foreign policy.

For decades after the collapse of communist China, the Confederation prospered despite its rivalry with Wuxing and a weaker-than-usual megacorp presence. Crash 2.0 forced the Confederation to contract Wuxing to help them upgrade to the Wireless Matrix, which gave them the opening to expand on the mainland. Today, the Canton Confederation is, for all intents and purposes, a puppet of Wuxing.

The Confederation originated from a trade alliance between the southeastern Chinese provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Zhejiang, calling itself the Greater Canton Economic Development Council. Nominally, the Council was responsible for dealing with the increased foreign investment and economic boom caused by the Resource Rush, allowing the member provinces to coordinate economic deals with Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao, as well as their connections through Chinese emigrants to Southeast Asia, Hawai’i, and the United States. Although it paid lip service to the People's Republic, the Council effectively took charge of all day-to-day responsibilities, weakening Beijing's influence over the region. Since the Council was bringing in money and at least appearing to show loyalty, the Chinese government turned a blind eye to this, so they could focus on more immediate problems in the western provinces.

After the secession of Hong Kong and the earthquake that buried the majority of China's arsenal in the Taihang Mountains, the Council saw its opportunity and declared its independence from China, renaming itself the Canton Confederation. The Confederation extended invitations to both Taiwan and Macao to join; Macao accepted the invitation, while Taiwan rebuffed them. Nevertheless, trade had made both the Confederation and Taiwan co-dependent on each other, so an uneasy truce formed between the two.

The Nationalist War

That truce fell apart in 2038, however, when the resurgent Nationalist Party seized power in Taiwan, as well as the provinces of coastal Zhejiang and Fujian, and certain micro-states in the Coastal Provinces. The Taiwan-based party had been secretly sponsoring reunification policlubs in the Confederation, and its electoral success in 2038 represented its attempt to seize power.

The Confederation declared war on this breakaway alliance, and the civil war erupted mostly on the Nationalists’ turf. After two years, the Confederation recaptured Fujian and began massing forces to invade the rest. Two assaults against Taiwan failed. Meanwhile, to the west, Liang Hong had seized power in Sichuan, and the new regime threatened the Confederation’s western borders.

Caught in a tight place, the Confederation negotiated a truce with Taiwan. Under its terms, Fujian returned to the Confederation fold, while the Confederation relinquished territory seized from Zhejiang. Taiwan was recognized as an independent state, while Shanghai owed reparations to the Confederation.

The war cost plenty for all involved. Zhejiang fractured under war reparations, and its remnant states became yet more micro-nations in the coastal region. Meanwhile, the Confederation economy sagged under reconstruction, forcing Canton to abandon its regional presence and allowing the Imperial Japanese Navy to move into Southeast Asia.

Recent Events

Between 2039 and 2040, the Canton Confederation shrank from the limelight as the Japanacorps, backed by the Japanese Imperial Navy, exerted control over Southeast Asia. However, after Wuxing's ascension to the Corporate Court and the recall of Japanese troops back to Japan after a massive earthquake wiped out most of Japan, the balance of power shifted in the Confederation's favor, which it used to start building up its fleet. Canton is attempting to fill the power vacuum in Southeast Asia. Recently, the Confederation had a chance to show off its strength in 2040, when an underwater mining dispute between Wuxing and Shiawase resulted in an international incident that brought both the Confederation and Vietnam into involvement. As of 2040, this dispute has not yet been resolved.

Post Crash 2.0

No new information has yet emerged about the Confederation after the Matrix Crash 2.0, or of its current status as of 2040.

Timeline

2006: The provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangxi, Hunan, and Zhejiang form the Greater Canton Economic Development Council to deal with the increased foreign investment and economic boom caused by the Resource Rush.

2015: Hong Kong secedes from China and declares itself the Hong Kong Free Enterprise Zone. Great Britain is duped into using its influence to aid Hong Kong, but corporate interests swiftly take over.

2017: A major earthquake hits the Taihang mountain range, which also serves as China’s main nuclear weapons stockpile. The quake triggers several underground nuclear detonations, which collapse the entire underground arsenal. Aftershocks reverberate throughout northern China; one creates deep crevasses in Tiananmen Square and topples several monuments.

2018: The member provinces of the Greater Canton Economic Development Council secede from China, and the Council transforms into the Canton Confederation. Sichuan, Shaanxi, and Inner Mongolia also withdraw, effectively cutting off western China from Beijing and prompting the western regions to secede. These sudden losses force a coup in Beijing, as reformers throw the Communist Party out of power.

2038 to 2040: The Nationalist War. Fujian and Zhejiang declare independence and break away from the Confederation to join Taiwan. The Confederation wages war and reclaims Fujian. Zhejiang fractures into multiple microstates that are subsequently lumped into the Coastal Provinces.

2040: The Confederation grants permission to Wuxing to conduct undersea exploration offshore from the Paracel Islands. While there, Wuxing discovers that Shiawase is present conducting undersea mining of manganese nodules, with rights granted from Vietnam. Wuxing files a grievance in Admiralty Court. The Confederation deploys warships into the area as a show of intimidation against Shiawase and the Vietnamese.