It's a two way street. If China can do things their own way, and we do things our way, and these are incompatible, who should be the one to compromise? If we do, why couldn't they?

It’s a dark forest problem. If one group has nothing, but peaceful intentions, then the group with other intentions can just crush them out of existence. It takes tolerate each other, otherwise you’re just talking about abject surrender. I can’t think of too many countries that would be satisfied with a life and let live pattern of behavior, and certsinly not China.

Co-existence requires the “co” not a unilateral decision.