You can sort of mentally homogenize all such into a kind of fuzzy, chaotic bunch of stuff much easier to rationalize away if you wish. I don't have that luxury.
It doesn't really matter how many countries China has or hasn't invaded in the past (and the Philippines was not mentioned--witness South China Sea incidents) . . . nor was Indonesia mentioned--I knew personally some of those involved in that effort. China could have a host of reasons arising NOW which motivated her NOW to invade SOONish (1-4 years). History is history. These leaders live in the now. They have their pride, greed, whatever NOW.
Not mentioned anywhere on FR that I'm aware of are the evidently reliable multiple reports of Chinese subs routinely unloading heavy duty missles into Cuba. I think I did see a news blip about China buying some land from the Cubans. . . . obviously just for a Chinese laundry or fast-food take-out.
And the Panama Canal bases are just to sell trinkets and fried rice to tourists going through the canal.
And the most threatening thing that will ever arrive in the thousands of containers at the several COSCO bases on the west coast will be . . . bamboo chopsticks? I wonder how many PLA soldiers a dozen or 4 dozen container ships could haul--with or without containers?
You seem to have a great deal more blind faith in your seeming relatively uninformed state than I'm allowed given all I've seen, heard, read, felt.