Being strong is not something you can say it yourselve. Other people have to regonised that you are strong and relie on you.
China should build a better foreign relation before getting a strong Military, project military power alone is useless, you can have 11 Aircraft Carrier group all jamed up on your Eastern Seaboard. You have to have other country needed your carrier group and willing to accomdate them. Otherwise it would just be a giant museum sitting on your dock.
US did not come to be a superpower by showing force worldwide, that's what the russian do, we help our friend and protect and support them, yes we made enemy but not anything we can't deal with, we have a strong foreign relation before we have a strong military. China should do the same.
Without foreign relation, China have nothing to project.
By the way, stop saying Chinese kick American butt in Korea,if they do, there will not have South Korea anymore, well, but they do exist. Read the history before you say something like that. Vietnam kick our butt in Vietnam, Chinese didn't even close to half what the viet does.