Some people would have no problem with China being the driving force for the direction of the world in the 21st century.
I would not like China being in charge, precisely because China would be very good at looking out for China. When China does something on the world stage, they tend to perform actions that create a political or economic return to China.
Meanwhile, the US does actions that cost the US loads of money and lives, but which do not provide any return to the US economy. The problem with selfless altruism is that, if carried too far, you eventually run out of funds. Visualize a woman who spends all her days running a charity for Africa but neglects her own home and children.
I would have been happier if, after we eliminated Saddam, we decided to make Iraq pay the cost of the operation in oil.