Imperialist power can be expressed in many ways, and China uses economic rather than military force in most places. They’re just as happy to use force though - like their displays around Taiwan and elsewhere. Trying to present China as some benevolent alternative to U.S Imperial power is absurd. If anything they are more ruthless; certainly even more willing to use force against dissenters or populations like the Uyghurs, the Tibetans, or democracy activists in Taiwan. They are also doing to Africa what the states did to the Americas in the 20th century; ensnaring any country they can in a debt trap in order to secure and extract their natural resources. I suppose it is an interesting thought experiment; is it better for your imperialist power to rely on economic violence rather than traditional military force?Maybe fewer innocent people get bombs dropped on them. Seems like a pretty dystopian system either way though.