I’m not trying to be argumentative; I really don’t know.
By investing you end up owning the thing you invest in. Ownership of infrastructure is a pretty good vehicle for imperialism imo. Is the point that China is not using that infrastructure to exploit?
I'm not sure if China "owns" the infrastructure they invest in, but they do make deals. "We give you x and you give y."
The difference between majority Chinese investments vs. majority Western investments is the fairness and impact of the deals. Whereas majority Chinese investments genuinely help develop their partners on fair terms, majority Western investments purposefully underdevelop their partners and create dependency.
Investments can be good, they can be bad; unfortunately some can't imagine it being good and immediately attack it.