Times of India got a hold of a leaked audio leak of China's military plans to take over Taiwan. I have long seen this as a forgone conclusion; China even put its land and water claims on their passports. Along with Taiwan, China claims large parts of the South China Sea; bits and pieces of Southeast Asia (remember they fought two wars against Vietnam - those wars pushed China into creating a real army); a piec of India (which would give China a path to build a road and railline to Pakistan).
It seems to me that regardless of the country, conquest appears to take a top priority once the country gets to a certain point in political growth. The ambitious goals are driven by either the need for more trade of resources or the never-ending greed and insatiable appetite for power. The US as well as many before us have been part of the latter reason more than the first.