Owning ports and strategic sites globally with deals that force employment of primarily Chinese citizens. Aka "investing in local economies".

It's weird how the same people who talk about trade deficits as if they are a bad thing think that a trade deal that favors one side isn't the exact same thing.

Following that logic, you would think that the only non-exploitive trade agreement is one that is as at least close to neutral, or at best mutually beneficial.

But nah.

Also, who told you they aren't colonizing anymore, or that the trade deals were "non-exploitive" or that they were "creating good will"?

You realize that propaganda works both ways, yeah? There's no truth from anyone anymore. Everything from everyone is a piece agenda-laden propoganda. The powers make themselves look good just as much as they make others look bad.

So the best you can do is try to look at things holistically and figure out what is real, what's an embellishment, and what's a downright lie. This means getting "facts" from multiple places and try to ignore all the emotional language that gets added in by the propogandists.

America isn't colonizing anywhere either. Nobody's colonizing everyone. Everyone is prosperous and free.