That's true too, but the CCP clearly wants to convince East Asia to more closely align with China than the US. That was subtext of replacing the US-led TPP wit

That's true too, but the CCP clearly wants to convince East Asia to more closely align with China than the US. That was subtext of replacing the US-led TPP with the China-led RCEP, among many other recent developments in the region. CCP's strategy in recent years is to convince all its neighbors that the US is an inevitably declining power, China will dominate the 21st century, that there is no choice for them, and that the sooner they realign with China the better it will be for them. The longer they hold out, the worse it will be for them. CCP uses everything from the Afghanistan withdrawal to 1/6 Capitol riot and everything in between to make that case.