China's belligerence in the South China Sea....could it be...

China's belligerence in the South China Sea....could it be possible that the ruling party is keeping tensions at high levels with a view to fanning the flame of nationalism in the event that a significant downturn in the Chinese economy led to social unrest? A tried and true method of maintaining a hold on power is directing the attentions of a divided nation/tribe/organisation towards a common enemy.It would be interesting to see if there is any correlation between incidents of civil unrest in China and a subsequent increase in antagonistic actions in the South China sea.