Sure, but I'm just pointing out that saying some strategy didn't work for Japan in the Pacific nearly a hundred years ago has little bearing on what that would

Sure, but I'm just pointing out that saying some strategy didn't work for Japan in the Pacific nearly a hundred years ago has little bearing on what that would mean for China, given the differences in technology, industrial strength, and military strategy. For one thing, the de facto state of the world right now is that the US controls all the oceans. Being able to secure island chains and put area denial weapons on them would increase China's capabilities and also reduce the US ability to project power easily. That doesn't mean they wouldn't be swept aside in a real war, but they would impose a real cost on the US to get rid of, and that's the entire point.