*** Yes, China is primarily expanding economically, and has been spending large amounts of money building ports and other infrastructure in countries they then develop a special relationship with. ***
I think some people still think China is something out of an old Pearl Buck novel. They are producing anything, and everything.
OK, so the other part of this that drives me crazy is the prevalent U.S. media view that portrays the average Chinese citizen as somehow ignorant and brainwashed, not having a clue what is going on in the outside world, and totally dependent on what they get from the government (somehow like North Korea).
Nothing could be further from the truth. For example, I read an article that says that more than 10% of the Chinese population now goes abroad for tours and vacations each year. (And the article points out, they all VOLUNTARILY GO BACK, e,g, they obviously don’t feel oppressed in their country.) The fact is, all Chinese are exposed continuously to ideas and media from the rest of the world. You turn on Chinese TV and there are 30 or 40 stations all going on—not surprisingly a large number of them are about economic matters and investment—and you also have C-dramas and variety shows (their version of amateur performance like “China’s Got Talent”) and everything else. Sure there is censorship, but a lot of that is aimed at “bad stuff,” inappropriate material for families and children, that encourage crime, etc. We used to do the same thing in the U.S.
And about the fact they live under a one-party state? I would say the vast number of Chinese don’t care. So long as life is going well and their economic situation continues to improve, they support their government, and they don’t waste their time having stupid divisive arguments such as consume our country and distract us from the fact the the U.S. is going bankrupt.
I am not saying they are better than us, but I am saying the U.S. seriously, seriously underestimates the strength of China and its people.