It becomes interesting if leaders start to talk about former glory and restoring it, we had and have it in the west and with Xi we have it in China as well.
If we think about what it means in case of China, it's a threat to the whole world.
China saw itself as the centre of the world and they dominated they world they knew.
Yes, they mainly cared for themself, but if you think about the first "modern" Europeans and how they were treated as they entered China for the first time, it's not a positive story...
In the eyes of China trade wasn't needed. In there eyes China already had everything and the goods they brought to China was nothing else but a tribute.
The same way they treated the northern barbarians...
They dominated their world and no one was equal to them.
You could argue Rome acted similar, but I see two differences. While they dominated their world, they still accepted trade and that other cultures could do incredible things.
The other point is that Rome might be a part of the European history, but it ended 1600 years ago. While the chinese Empire collapsed only 100 years ago.