There is a decent argument to be made that the US involvement in conflicts overseas actually makes money. Here is a speech by a Chinese general from 2015. A lot of it is pure bullshit bragging about how China is the greatest and the US sucks, but many parts are very good:
One belt, one road - Limes
For a more comprehensive analysis of this phenomenon I will once more suggest Michael Hudson’s “Supreimperialism”. The Chinese love that one, it seems that this speech draws heavily on the book’s. Not everything is as it seems. Hudson is a Marxist btw, I have to mention.