Professor Rosemary Foot asks, "What is Xi doing to the World?", commenting on an increasingly confident China on the international stage under President Xi Jinping.
Writing for East Asian Forum, Professor Foot argues that under President Xi Jinping's leadership, China has become much more confident in its global role, buoyed by a feeling of economic,as well as political, resurgence. Examples of this include China's increasing use of its veto in the UN Security Council, and its agreement to a combat role for Chinese peacekeepers in UN operations. Beijing believes the West has lessons to learn from China's own 'institutionalised consultative democracy', but Professor Foot warns of tensions created by its global aspirations and of inconsistencies in President Xi Jinping's message.