Of course there's the military option, and chances are that China's Great Firewall isn't as secure as they claim...but the one thing China wants - has always wanted - more than anything else (AFAIK) is internal stability. That's why I believe that a wide-ranging economic embargo by the other great economies of the world would be the most effective.

Another thing to consider is the old advice to give one's enemy a golden parachute. When faced with disaster, if the Chinese government is given a way to extricate itself without losing face, they're very likely to respond positively.

Here's an interesting point. If one looks back, every single nation that has stood at the apex of power has done so only once. This is true of every great empire from Egypt and Persia all the way to the British Empire followed by America. After having declined from the height of power, none have reached that point a second time. If China supplants America - as it seems they will within a decade - they will be the first people to have reached the top a second time.

Lastly, while I earnestly admire and respect China (as anyone interested in history should) for what they have accomplished and achieved, I am certainly no Sinophile. What they have done and continue to do to their ethnic minorities is shameful and inexcusable. Yes, one can say "Look at how Americans treat Blacks!" to which I will reply, "Come back and let me know when a Uighur is elected President of China."