China has the world's largest standing army, the world's second-largest navy, the world's second-largest economy, is one of 3 nations with the ability to put people in space, possesses intercontinental ballistic missiles, has the world's most active cyberwarfare system, has penetrated and pilfered most of the world's industrial systems and designs and has publicly stated that it intends to become a superpower and challenge the United States.
Ignore them at your peril.