The difference is, China has more have-nots than the US has people. The US is the main source of value creation for China. If Xi wants to not have a coup and be

The difference is, China has more have-nots than the US has people. The US is the main source of value creation for China. If Xi wants to not have a coup and be beh... I mean, if Xi wants to guarantee the future prosperity of the PRC, he needs to raise those have-nots out of poverty and the way to do that is by selling stuff to Americans and stealing their IP, not creating a shooting war with a country that has enough nuclear weapons to make this planet uninhabitable to intelligent life for centuries. The US has done what it has done in the regions you list because they're already unstable (particularly the Middle East) and have no way of striking decisive blows against US territory.