This could get real interesting. Of course there is no concentrated target for the Chinese to nuke, so that's just silly; and they aren't going to nuke Mecca, they are every bit as dependent on that Saudi/Gulf oil flowing as we are. Conventionally, the Chinese military has never been expeditionary (In the sense of going anywhere they couldn't just drive or walk to). AQ can hurt them, but not mortally; they can kill AQ members, but can't wipe them out. It could last quite awhile and never produce decisive results either way.