probably, but it could also have become an Asian tiger earlier with better free market policies, like South Korea or Japan and with Chinas resources and manpower it would easily eclipse those two.

This is an extremely optimistic scenario, which doesn't take into account the actual historical evidence. Taiwan and S. Korea are not comparable to China, by no means.

But still, the nationalists couldn't prevail.

that's what mroe or less already has happened. it's basically the revival of Batista Cuba...

under the KMT's corrupt regime,

• the scourge of opium addiction continues
• uncontrollable populationn growth; China's population would be much higher than the current 1.3 billion
• The Tibet region would almost be de-populated
• continuing the alarming trend over the past centuries---owing to addherence to strict religious practice, under the Dalai Lama, of celibacy
• much lower literacy rate

Thus, on this basis, China would most probably be no more successful than India.

I think currently China pushes forward their own agenda. They are drawing capital from the west, selling (extremely) cheap their labor, creating a middle class... they are pulling together for a capitalist transformation.

Batista's Cuba was just a corrupt protectorate (not of the US government, but) of the US corporations and mega-sharks, not a sovereign nation.

"probably, but it could also have become an Asian tiger earlier with better free market policies, like South Korea or Japan and with Chinas resources and manpower it would easily eclipse those two."

As if,

The growth under nationalist was anything but fast, infact it was stagnating;

The growth under communist was much faster with an average annual growth rate for 1953-1974 as 5.6 percent in GNP, 3.4 percent in GDP per capita; 10.5 percent in industrial production, 2.4 percent in agricultural production, 2.2 percent in population.
By its size, this growth has pushed China to higher level of global power. In 1976 China hand 4.7 percent of the world's share in GNP which is the 6th largest in the world. All this is comparing to a China prior to PRC which had virtually no industry and power. And this is not it. In scientific acheivement, the PRC produced its atomic weapon in 1964, its first space satellite in 1970, ballistic missiles at the same time. It became a major regional power a potential global power and an important actor in international politics, all of which was at its nadir during the nationalists.

The Chinese aren't stupid, they chose the communists over the nationalists for a reason.

The better question is what if there is no great leap forward or dultural revolution, skippking that time frame, China would have already been a economic superpower.

"and eclipsed everyone else in the region, including Japan, S.Korea, Taiwan"

This is wrong. Taiwan has always been under control of the ROC. If the ROC didn't lost her control over the mainland, Taiwan and Mainland China would be united now.

 If the ROC didn't lost her control over the mainland?

Haha,how can that be possible,if they didn't lose,we chinese people will go on fighting until it has been defeated.

Without US,Taiwan and Mainland China would be united long time ago.The KMT army is as weak  as a piece of glass.

China would be a far greater country today if the Kuomintang was still in power.  Chiang Kai-Sheck was a fair and just leader who ruled his country wisely.  Creating an alliance with the evil communist Mao Tse-Tung during WW2 was one of his few mistakes.  He should have crushed Mao first, then dealt with the invading forces of Japan.  Perhaps someday, the Kuomintang will return to mainland China and take back what is rightfully theres.

Chiang and the Kuomintang were not corrupt.

It was actually proposed by  Chiang's KMT when he was chased after by CCP but turned down by Mao who knew he could overthrow Chiang easily.

*actually, the KMT and the Soviets maintained on friendly terms, and Soviets did not officially recognize the PRC until it was evident that the PRC would prevail.  Generalissmo Chiang was actually quite anti-American in person, and only realist politics drove him to embrace pro-US policies.  Washington even plotted to supplant Chiang with General Sun Liren, a West Point graduate who was more pro-American and more controllable than the old man. 

China's turn toward communism was inevitable, and only a matter of time.  Nowdays, we blame the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution, and indeed, they stymied progress, but if one took out those two from the equation, a socialist/communist regime worked better for China at the time.  China during the 1950s, right after the communist takeover and before Mao's mind became unhinged, was far better, on average, and for the average worker, than China during the 1940s under  KMT rule.

The best route would be communist takeover without the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution.