User blog comment:AenMaps/Qing Caliph (Map Game) (JUST FOR STORAGE)/@comment-30574470-20161104192005

The Caliphates and Islam extends further into Europe than in the OTL, while the fracturing of the Mongol Empire leaves a power imbalance, which the Chinese are able to take up extremely quickly. The Chinese build up a massive empire, but are unable to cross the threshold into Europe, due to the Caliphate and the close-knit alliances of Europe. Instead, they look south, and as the begin exploring, this Chinese Empire also fractures. Like the Mongols did. But this time, the Chinese are able to hold a firm grasp on the people, and the Chinese culture has spread across Asia. The Chinese successor states battle for supremacy, and one such state from South China manages to unite China. After conquering Japan, they start moving south, through south east Asia, battling the Indians, colonizing Africa and Australia, Discovering the Americas, and developing a vast trade empire. Meanwhile, as Islam had a firm grip on Europe, with even the holy city of Rome falling to these "anti-crusaders", their African expansion was only rivalled by the Chinese. The most powerful European nation at the time was the United Kingdom, who has managed to stay unfazed by the rate of Islamic expansion. They, with their Scandinavian allies in the north, begin colonizing the north and gaining power, but they are nothing compared to the Muslims and the Chinese. Then, war broke out between the two factions. The Muslims and the Chinese went to war, and it was the war to end all wars. It ended in stalemate, after millions of lives lost, but it was only the first big war. Europe saw a massive rise of fascism to counter to prevalence of foreigners. Specifically, Scandinavia and the United Kingdom uniting to form one European superpower. They began to expand, and eventually saw retaliation by the Chinese. However, after the nuking of Beijing, the second largest city in China proper, the Muslims immediately came to the Chinese' aid, fearing that the collapse of China and the rise of fascism would lead to their demise. Of course, the Europeans were defeated, but this lead to a massive Cold War between the Chinese and the Muslims. The Chinese had embraced democracy, forming the Han-Zhou Confederation, while the Muslims had instead abandoned the Caliphate, overthrown the Caliph, and adopted a new ideology - Communism - to become the Union of Socialist Middle Eastern States (USMES). The rivalry between the HZC and the USMES has lasted to this day, 1987, but the situation is changing. The USMES is weakening. And social reforms are on the rise.