“I am firmly with India in the coming clash between these two giants, but this is just wrong. China has a long history of greatness. (As does India.)”
Yes, but that was not the author’s contention.
The author was addressing claims that historically China was the dominant power in Asia, which is not true.
China was very isolationist and kept to themselves. They were big enough to be their own thing, as it were, and don’t care about dominating other countries or cultures. They just fought among themselves.
They very much disdained and even prohibited interaction with the rest of the world.
You can be a dominant power in a region without invading other countries.
For example: the US in the Americas.
China was a cultural and continuity powerhouse. And that they controlled such a geographic span as they did given their location on a more or less open plain—just like India—is very impressive.
Both giants used a sophisticated mix of soft and hard power.
Oh, and ask the Vietnamese about Chinese invasions.