I very much buy the argument that much of it is reactionary defensiveness. Both with India and Australia, the CCP was extremely keen on making sure it was not perceived as giving an opening to being kicked when it's down, so to speak, even at the cost of important relationships. India in particular I think there's really strog motivation to make sure New Delhi knows which of the two is the rising great power, and which of the two is just a regional power. China has to be more delicate with the United States (not that things aren't still really ugly) and may be spending all its political capital vis-à-vis hawks/nationalists domestically on not going pedal to the metal against the US right now.