I think china is a communist country in name only.If you arrived in any city on the east coast, and didnt know anything about the government you'd think you were in one of the most capitalist places on earth. I live in city of 4 million people, a place that i never even heard of before i came here. There are ferrarri, bentley , porsche dealerships, guicci, prada, armani shops...and they're all doing great business. So many chinese people are looking to try and start their own business and get rich...and the governement is encouraging it. Its a place full of contradictions...economically and socially it's experiment, the result of which no one can predict.
The companies who already have invested in china have considered that the government is a 'communist dictatorship' and still invested billions. its a calculated risk...maybe even an advantage in many ways. things will be relatively stable, as long as there isnt a revolution, there wont be change of government and a u turn in government policys...and they know who to bribe if they have to. I'm sure when Chavez in venezuala or lula in brazil came in to power, with a real socialist agenda, companies invested there started to worry.
As for the government controlling everything, thats not really true. the market decides wages and living standard after that. if you have an IT degree you can get paid 700 euro/month after you graduate. English degree.maybe 200/month. no degree..you'd be lucky to get 60/month. companies know how much your worth to them and will pay accordingly. health care..if you have no money you wont get any...a bit like the US. China is not cuba where (i think) everyone gets the same wage regardless of your job...free healthcare, education ...i dont know much about cuba. free speech is another issue in itself and one foreign companies don't seem to be too concerned about (microsoft, yahoo, google etc.)
the biggest threat to stability in china is the widening gap between rich and poor. The 'peasants' (i don't like the word..but its what's used) will only sit back for so long and watch the other 300 million get wealthy while they're stuck living in the dark ages. Unless the chinese government seriously tackle this issue its going to explode.
Deng Xiaoping, the chinese leader most young people here would look up to much more than Mao, said 'to be rich is to be glorious'. i don't think he was quoting the communist manifesto when he said it.
sorry for length of my rant ....