> The Chinese currency used to be and might still be pegged to the US dollar so why shouldnt I invest in the Chinese govt debt instead?
Because the US makes it easy for you to trade dollars around. The dollar's dominance will collapse the moment that significant restrictions are introduced around who can hold it, how they can hold it, and what they can trade it for.
China doesn't care one whit about making it easy for a foreigner (or a local) to trade its money (or derivatives) around. China cares about stabilizing its economy. If the CPC decides tomorrow that currency controls are necessary to stabilize their economy, you're going to be SOL. If the CPC decides tomorrow that USD, or BTC, or RMB can't flow out of China, you're SOL. And so on, and so on.
I wouldn't recommend making investments when you don't understand the risks.