China’s illusory global leadership

Even as China’s economy slows and its government backslides on reform, President Xi Jinping is trying hard to portray his country as a global power ready to assume a broader international role. It is proving to be a tough sell.

Xi’s efforts to boost China’s international clout are not in doubt. His meetings with Asian leaders in Manila last November rounded out a year of high-profile travel, in which he has touted China - which has provided billions of dollars in foreign assistance and investments around the world in recent years - as a leading global benefactor.

In the Middle East, Chinese firms are building a subway in Iran’s capital and a high-speed railway in Saudi Arabia. Last June, Egypt entered into an agreement with China for 15 projects worth about US$10 billion. In Latin America, Chinese officials have forecast US$250 billion in new infrastructure deals.