Re: Doing so would be effectively dumping the ISS, too
I agree. If we stopped the shuttle flights, and put the ISS in hibernation before committing to a replacement for the shuttle would in all probability end American manned space fight indefinitely. There are those in congress and elsewhere who would jump at the chance to kill everything to do with space.
However it’s hard to imagine even a stingy congress in bad economic times letting the Chinese have it all to them selves. Their aggressive manned space program may be the best incentive to keep Americans in space.