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.
As did everyone else?
I don't see China having military bases all over the world and proping up "freedom fighters"
In comparison, China is the least.
eg. In the Congo https://friendsofthecongo.org/erik-prince-in-congo-transnati... and elsewhere.
You only know of two major countries in the world?
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?
The US meanwhile has an overseas empire for honestly no good reason.
Highly recommend the book “How to hide an empire” which talks about the American version of colonialism.
If everyone voluntarily refused to touch boats and only trade oil for dollars we may have invested differently.
The US didn't become economically dominant until after the first World War, when it already had an overseas empire for half a century.
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.
Ok? They were still an imperial power. Having a stable border for a little while doesn't affect that definition.
> The US meanwhile has an overseas empire for honestly no good reason.
Same for the first part you're commenting on, that was in direct response to the thread.
... when the U.S. Declaration of Independence was first uttered in 1776
Also.. this little event where they added something like 10% of the current size. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1951_Chinese_annexation_of_Tib...
But I'm sure that wasn't imperialism because they had already conquered Tibet previously... in an act of imperial expansion.