China’s bizarre behavior overlooks the weakness of their air and naval forces. Their army has massive numbers on the ground that creates a quality of its own, however they are weak logistically if operating beyond their own borders.
While their present ability to project power is still very questionable, their intent is now very clear to anyone paying attention.
Did we ever sell Taiwan any Ohio class subs? One of those can bring China to its knees.
Unless they are banking on logistics supply chain via UPS, FEDEX and USPS like their Amazon partners, their out of border projection will sputter to a halt quickly.
The last time the PLA was in a military conflict against a foreign power they lost to Vietnam.