Yes, yes, get NATO out of the way so China can form a military "defense" pact with other countries to protect it's interests in the power vacuum
Oh, wait, these are the same people who believe one country invading, and annexing territory from, another isn't imperialism, it is self defense because the west, even when the leader has been publicly discussing reclaiming their empire for decades now. These are the people who ignore how some countries have been claiming ownership of seas, and harassing the independent countries within them, because that is also just self defense, because the west. It can't possibly be them exercising expansionist desires, while claiming it is defense, you know, like how some other countries, of a certain defense pact, do. They certainly won't go full steam ahead once NATO is no longer in these areas, constraining them.