Those 2 things are not mutually exclusive. In fact, genuinely helping poor countries develop is a pretty good way to gain soft power.

No one here, and I do mean no one, is saying that China isn't gaining anything from doing that. But that doesn't mean it's bad for the other party or hides some nefarious secret purpose either. Diplomacy isn't a zero sum gain where if China gain from a deal therefore the other party has to lose to compensate, that's not how international relations work.

Because China isn't imperialist, it isn't dominated by finance capital and isn't super-exploiting the global south. Imperialism isn't a policy preference, it's what happens when capitalism reaches its domestic limits. China doesn't have the same economic forces that push the US Empire into imperialism.

China does gain international credibility from these mutual cooperation projects, sure, but since they are mutually beneficial that isn't a bad thing. Further, Trump still exerts soft power, it wasn't because it was "woke" but because it's expensive and imperialism is declining. The US Empire is pivoting towards hard power now that US soft power is dying.

This isn't true though, as I elaborate on over here. China doesn't seek to own everything, nor does it debt trap. In fact, it frequently forgives billions in debt. China's goal in Africa is mutual, win-win development, as long term cooperation benefits everyone more greatly than western imperialism does.

The US, Canada, Europe, etc, in being dominated by finance capital and the profit motive, are ecomomically compelled into the strategy of keeping the global south underdeveloped so as to super-exploit them for cheap labor and resources. The PRC is socialist, though, and the finance industry is dominated by the state, meaning long-term planning and mutual development is not only possible, but economically compelled.

I love unsourced conspiracy theories