re: Pentagon warns China is an even bigger threat than we thought

Militarily we are, but all China wants to do is to dissuade military intervention, as their colonial exercise will have its discontents, just like ours has. We are poorly positioned diplomatically. China swooped in to replace us as the allies to Pakistan, as we let factional divides in Pakistan color our views of the country as a whole, as there were strong pro-Western defenders in the country. China has invested heavily in South Africa, India, and Russia, and has sent troops to Afghanistan, as well as cracking down on the Uyghurs in West China. There have been overtures between Iran and China as well, specifically for natural gas. Their traditional sphere of influence included all of East Asia, but their moves in Central Asia are concerning, as they pose another country that can court these countries through investments.