However, democratic change is inevitable.  All sane Chinese communist leaders know this.  Their problem is they have no clue how to effect that change and keep living afterward.  They have seen what happens to despised leaders and naturally do not want to experience the fates that befell Benito Mussolini, Nicolae Ceausescu, or Muammar Gaddafi.
 

One possible and, yes, radical solution is for China to join a nation that is already democratic and let it handle the transition headaches while protecting the lives and property of the communist leaders and their families.  The Chinese communist leaders making their protection part of the deal to joining that country.  If these leaders were to do this, their national pride wouldn't allow them to pick any other country than the only remaining super-power in the world to join: The United States of America.
 

If the communist leaders of China are willing to entertain this solution, the surest sign that they are is if they allow a pro-statehood weekend mega-concert to take place somewhere in their country.  This will likely be a trial balloon to see how their citizenry reacts to such an idea.  Like in Russia, don't be surprised if at unification rallies/concerts you see "Xi for US President!" signs and t-shirts.  In fact, they would probably be a really good idea to promote by the concert organizers to help make the current Chinese government, especially Xi, more willing to allow these concerts to take place.  If it is well attended and peaceful, the leaders might allow more such mega-concerts to take place and then start negotiations with the USA about such a possibility.  Very likely one of the preconditions that the US will make before it will give serious consideration to making China a state is for China to let Tibet become an independent sovereign nation.  They do that and events would then accelerate and China could quickly become a US state.  The Chinese leaders might even let Tibet go as part of the opening gestures towards the US as a way to show they're serious in their intent and to pre-eliminate this thorny issue from being part of discussions.

If the Chinese communist leaders don't do the above, China could still become a US state when, against the best efforts of the Chinese communist leaders to suppress them, its citizenry finally riots so much and so strongly that they overthrow their government.  And then this citizenry might seek US statehood to help it quickly become a free democratic and stable nation.  This desire spurred on by pro-statehood weekend mega-concerts which could very easily spring up spontaneously around the nation and build momentum that will end with China allowing Tibet to break off and the rest of China to join the US as a state.