World War II was the transition from the UK empire to the US empire and so are part of the US legacy. Both were ridiculously exploitative and violent. In World War II, the US invested in the German war machine which whittled down the UK until convenient to enter the war. For example, Prescott Bush was still invested in Nazi Germany until 1942 (see https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/sep/25/usa.secondworldwar). Nazi Germany, before WWII, praised the US system and got their inspiration from it. So WWII was part of both the UK and US empire building and part of their legacy.
As for China, a trade deficit means China gives products and real value while the other side gives a vaporous ledger indicating some numbers which the US has shown to take over whenever they deem expedient. That’s what happened with many countries (again, read “Confessions of an Economic Hitman”). The US drives up debt in a country, channels or freezes or outright takes the money channeled in and then demands all the victim country’s resources be turned over to the klepto-bully. China and many, many other countries would have been much better off if the US and Europe never existed. Capitalism and its champions have been nothing but a curse on humanity and, indeed, planet earth.
As for accusing China of nefarious intentions, that is by far the most unbelievably arrogant and egregious case of the pot calling the kettle black. Are you freaking out of your mind? All the evidence of exploitation, massacres and induced-famine committed by the US are nothing to you? The US’s reputation throughout most of the world is lower than that of our lowest corrupt politicians and that is really saying something! No one trusts the US and everyone considers US citizens to be either completely inane with not even rudimentary knowledge of their own history and geography or thoroughly brainwashed by neo-liberal, nationalistic and/or racist ideology. The exceptions are few and far in between and many of those exceptions are wildly reviled in the US (for example, Naom Chomsky). Even your so-called socialists, like Bernie Sanders, would be considered right of center anywhere else in the world.
As for the benevolence of China, at least there is some benevolence. With the US, there is lies, violence and extreme exploitation. I was at a meeting of industrialists in my country some years ago with a US speaker, he was ranting against China and saying how they cannot be trusted and should be avoided. At first, everyone was cowed because they know that the US is the world’s vicious bully (not the policeman you laughably suggested). Finally, when one person stood up and said that China is by far more trustworthy than the US and provides much more flexible terms, there was a flood of agreement which greatly angered the US speaker. Most of the (normal, as contrasted with the filthy) rich outside the US will be glad when this vicious bully gets replaced …
Finally, as I mentioned before, it’s too early to tell how China will behave when it becomes the de-facto world leader. And become it will because it is superior to the US in every way. It has demographics, geography and a superior economic system on its side while the US has only temporary tools of power that are quickly waning. If the world doesn’t collapse due to a nuclear world war or climate collapse, then I believe we’ll be in for a vastly better (although nowhere near perfect) world system.
