There are two basic ways to get people to cooperate with you. One is to develop a relationship that is mutually beneficial so that helping you helps them. Another way is to threaten them. China has threatened virtually all of their neighbors, starting with the attack on India which was probably intended to generate an outside threat to take the Chinese people’s attention off the failures of the CCP. That failed. China has also constructed dams along all the rivers that run through China and then flow into their neighboring countries. This gives them tremendous influence as they can starve those countries for water. The Chinese have threatened Japan and Taiwan. While Taiwan is no big threat, Japan has started an arms race with a huge increase in military spending. Then there are the almost constant threats to America.
I think that if a conflict breaks out we will see the neighboring states form a cohesive block. The neighbors will back Tibet, the Urgurs and Hong Kong separatists. China, who has actively been looking for an external enemy, will find a plethora of them.
we will see the neighboring states form a cohesive block
Don’t count on it. They’ll count on the U.S. though. Dutarte is sucking up to the Chicoms.