I have mixed feelings when it comes to this issue.
On the one hand, it's disconcerting to watch the PRC gradually absorb or attempt to intimidate lands that it perceives as being within its territorial claims, e.g. Macao, Hong Kong, the Spratleys, and most unsettling of all, Taiwan.
However, I also think that to a large extent, their military buildup and seemingly potent regional alliances are designed to mask some of the fundamental flaws that lie at the heart of this fascist gerontocracy.
The masses of unemployed industrial workers, energetic Falun Dafa devotees and persecuted-but resilient-political dissidents aren't going to deterred, no matter how many of them you intern in laogai or exile from their homeland.
You can't defeat an idea whose time has come with a tank, submarine or cruise missile.
What if that idea is the notion that Chinese culture is the true destiny of the human race, and that only due to misfortune has the "oldest" civilization been "asleep" all these long years?
I'm not saying they all feel this way, but there is a resonating bell gonging in the distance. It's Chinese nastionalism, and it's raw, fascist, and vengeful. If we underestimate it, we'll be overrun in less than 50 years. If we rise to meet the challenge, we'll have some trade relation issues and we'll be able to focus on other issues.
The choice is ours. Prepare, and maybe just maybe we won't have the fight of our lives on our hands. Ignore the steady drumbeat of nationalism and watch the dragon roar.
If you wonder why Japan is willing to stand with us on Iraq, look east. Yes, it's North Korea. But it is also Taiwan and mainland China. The Japanese know what we are reluctant to accept: China is a global powderkeg.
All of the reasons mentioned are exactly the answer. A 'Grip & Grin' is SOP in the world of statesmanship. At the very least we can be somewhat asured that the best interests of the USA are being brought to the table.