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After a good night's sleep I think pieced together what you may be saying --the idea being that when Americans buy the output of Chinese factories that some kind of money goes from the U.S. to China in payment. In 2015 Chinese goods bought by Americans cost $91B more than goods sold to them, and that should mean by the end of 2015 the Chinese socked away a cool $91B that they could spend on their armed forces.

Is that what you're saying?

Yes, only it is 4X more than $91B. The article says it is $365B.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/365694500000-merchandise-trade-deficit-china-hit-record-2015

...the Chinese socked away a cool $91B that they could spend on their armed forces. Is that what you're saying?

Yes, only it is 4X more than $91B. The article says it is $365B.

Thanks. CNSNEWS says they got the number was according to data from the BEA's press release dated Feb. 5, 2016. So if you're happy w/ the BEA then we may want to go with their latest numbers dated March 17, 2016 which says imports of goods'n'services minus exports to China for 2015 now is coming out to $338,010M.

Close enough, for example some data says Hong Kong is China and others say it isn't; the exact number isn't the issue. What I'm getting to is that while Americans spent money on Chinese goods'n'services, they turned right around and spent those dollars on buying $96,093 in stocks/fund shares, -$130,156 in bonds/T-bills, plus real estate, bank deposits, patent rights, etc. all adding up to an equal amount.

China didn't "sock away" any dollars. The bought stuff from the U.S. with those dollars.