Not sure what history books you're reading, but the history of China is one of imperialism. China didn't just form with its current borders. It expanded and contracted and expanded some more for millennia.
I was responding to the incorrect assertion that China was the least imperialist country on the planet, which is clearly false. Maybe read the entire conversation before jumping in?
Interestingly China in Africa has been more commercial (not that "free" long term loans don't have a down side, and bribing "officials' to condone the sale of generational farming lands, etc. isn't a bad thing) than military - but where China has used mercenary forces .. it's most often been outsourced to US PMCs (Private Military Contractors)
My response didn't say any country was better or worse than any other country, just that China had an imperialist past.
The strange whataboutism you're doing and trying to "debate" things that only you have brought up isn't a compelling form of argumentation. Stating that I was defending and spewing "apologist nonsense" about the US, when I hadn't mentioned the US at all is just really odd. I can't tell if you're really young and haven't learned about how to argue points and/or you're from China and simply can't handle anything negative said about your homeland?
Not entirely whataboutism from my part (in my opinion), the thread above was talking about China and US imperialism in (now deleted) comments. It's not like I brought in the US out of nowhere although it looks that way due to deleted comments.
Same for the first part you're commenting on, that was in direct response to the thread.
"Maintain economic dominance" is a bit of a distorted view of late 19th century US colonialism. It was not a dominant economic power compared to colonial Europe. It was to boost the local economy for sure, with the guano islands. But colonizing the Philippines after the "war" with Spain was mostly to prevent European colonial powers from dominating that part of the world.
The US didn't become economically dominant until after the first World War, when it already had an overseas empire for half a century.
I assumed the comment I was replying to was in reference to our constellation of military bases and the economic machinations post ww2.
If it was referencing history prior to that then I would reply with the as you mentioned guano mines, fruit production, and keeping European powers out of our regional backyard after several scuffles with Spain and Britain at minimum.
I’d also mention the boat touching still.
The Marine’s Hymn doesn’t mention the Halls of Montezuma and the Shores of Tripoli for no reason.
