It's deep concern at the potential implications of that statement.
If it's simply short-term, tactical temporizing, I think that's understandable in a complex situation, but I would not support that particular choice of words. In effect, the critical thing to understand about that kind of scenario is that western countries, particularly democracies, may have policies and plans. The Chinese Communist Party has narratives. The narrative it is trying to build is of inevitable pre-eminence and centrality in shaping both its region and ultimately world order. Contributing to that narrative is essentially making a concession in negotiations without receiving anything in return. It's a very dangerous concession to make.