Peter, do you REALLY think that this possibility is credible?!
Yes, I do.
We in the west have a long history of misunderstanding eastern thought and philosophy. We see an action and assign what would be our own motivations to that action.
I’m reminded of a Star Trek episode (the original series from the 1960s) where an alien race - the Binars - take over the Enterprise to save their planet. Once they successfully do so, the two Binars who took over the ship surrendered themselves for punishment. When asked why they did so when Kirk had already expressed a willingness to help, they explained, “You might have said no.”
That version of Star Trek was pretty big on social commentary, and this episode was no exception. We get into a lot of problems simply because we don’t try to put ourselves in the position of the other party, we don’t try to understand them.
So, yes, I absolutely think my explanation is credible. Am I certain it is correct? No. But neither am I certain that the Chinese actions are preparations for an attack. It is entirely plausible that they are defensive preparations rather than offensive preparations.
—Peter