For 30 years they’ve focused more on political and economic soft power. Apart from selling stuff and helping in the background I’m not sure they’ll get directly involved.
What they might do is finally make a move for Taiwan if there’s enough chaos elsewhere.
Difficult to play economic games to disapprovingly sanction the country holding TSMC hostage… Assuming TSMC isn’t flattened by someone as the first Chinese boot touches the ground.
But what else, other than geopolitical chaos, could we expect from the decade that started with a global pandemic?