Maybe China should help mold a quiet but festering issue into something that makes China look like a victim and someone else the aggressor. Then use the situation as an excuse to test new equipment and train up crews in actual combat conditions but in a safer environment than what would be encountered in the straits. China could take out an unpopular regime like Burma under some false pretext, "stabilize" the country and allow "elections". The new govt presumably under Aum soon ki would be favorable to Beijing, more so than the usa because they did nothing all that time. This in turn would likely give Beijing greater access, especially in regard to building oil pipelines, comm sites and military garrisons.
Further Thailand would be happy as they do not seem to have a problem with China and would be pleased that a new government that they could work with would be in power.
