SafeNow says:

I have a theory. China saw that the Ukraine proxy war was escalating its way to Armageddon, and thought, “Armageddon bad, we need to do something. Specifically, we Chinese must furnish America with a putative alternate enemy threat; a substitute expensive military adventure. But we don’t want to do anything to spook these idiots too badly. Anyone? General Wang of the People’s Balloon Ministry, your hand is up…do you have an idea? “