One Belt, One Road, One Man
- President builds prestige at home as world leaders pay homage
- Show of strength ahead of crucial midterm party reshuffle
Belt & Road Nations to Deepen Policy Coordination
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The pageantry permeating Beijing this week showed that China’s expansive vision for a new global economic order had another goal: Boosting President Xi Jinping’s grip on power at home.
From fawning state media campaigns to the words of the man himself, the so-called Belt and Road Forum repeatedly stressed Xi’s centrality to infrastructure-and-trade initiative that brought about 30 world leaders to Beijing, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. The Communist Party chief claimed personal credit for the “project of the century,” unusual in a political system that stresses collective leadership.