Toward who does China not act like a dick ?
Pakistan.
Everyone talks about Chinese democracy but don't assume that liberals like Ai Weiwei, Lu Xiaobo or Wen Jiabao would win the elections. It's just as likely to be some fascist.
It's odd of you to refer to Wen Jiabao as a "liberal", comparable with those Chinese who were fed on European values. He's usually referred to as a "populist", as if other CPC politicians weren't; more accurate would be to refer to him as a reformer, a member of those Chinese politicians who sees the CPC to either evolve or perish. He's telling the world everything he wants to say before he's swept out of power come 2012.
With that being said China has historically not been all that aggressive. In the past 60 years it has fought 3 wars, all along its land border; in the past 30 years it has fought none. Before that Chinese history mostly consisted of getting invaded by 'barbarians'; absorbing the invaders into Chinese civilization, before getting invaded again by another group of 'barbarians' even less 'civilized' than the last group. Manchus, Mongolians, Khitans, Jurchens, Uighurs, and so and so on.
China has been too busy displaying aggression to its own people in the past 90 years to worry about foreign powers. Such has been the case and will be in the short run.
Any Chinese will defend these island claims as "taking back what is ours". The relevant part of Chinese history wrt to the claims is the European dismemberment of China. The revanchist attitudes that followed it was the modus operandi behind reclaiming Hong Kong, Macau and all the little islands. Certainly no Chinese are complaining about the stalemate. If the Chinese can't have these islands' resources or surrounding water rights, then no one will.
Keep in mind that Northern Vietnam has been intermittently been controlled by China, meaning the islands battle is a proxy regarding the extent of China's sphere of influence.
