If and when China is at the same level of military capability as the US, do you believe it will refrain from "bullying" to protect its national interests?
Given what China has done to Tibet over the past few decades it is safe to say the difference is night and day between the levels of "bullying" that occur.
Yes, that happened. Was anything else going on in the world, perhaps more irreversible? One of the American internees later captained USS Excelsior, after all.