Do we have to 'stop' them? Can't we all share the world? Or does it have to come to war? Would the U.S. be more successful by being honest and dealing multi-laterally with other nations? Perhaps in this way the U.S. could build a network of opposition to China's expansion, and we wouldn't have to 'go it alone'. But as it is, we feel the need to flex our military muscle practically everywhere we go, we piss people off, and guess what... they are happy to deal with China, because the US will send its corporations in to rape them otherwise. In other countries' eyes, China looks friendly and the U.S. looks like a violent state increasingly out-of-control. I seriously suspect that the ploy in Iraq will not work in the long run. It will only ally China with arabia.

Remember, the West plays Chess, but the Chinese play Go. Meaning, the West can win the battle, but the Chinese have their sights set on the very long term, a long term we can't see right now.