The world is Xi’s oyster

XI JINPING, China’s president, has lately had little choice other than to ponder foreign policy. Last month his country played host to the leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation forum; he then flew to Brisbane for a G20 summit, going on to visit other parts of Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. In between, his prime minister, Li Keqiang, was in Myanmar for yet another summit, the 18-nation East Asian one. This welter of diplomacy seems to have inspired Mr Xi—the most powerful leader in a generation of a country more powerful than for centuries—to spell out his foreign-policy vision. He did so in a speech at the end of November apparently intended in part to reassure China’s neighbours that a strong and rising China need not be feared. It was a good attempt, but not entirely successful.

Reassurance is needed. Hopes that China’s spectacular climb to superpower status might be completed without conflict have been dented in recent years. Its assertive approach to old but until recently largely quiescent territorial disputes with Japan, the Philippines, Vietnam and India has jangled nerves. In Asia, defence spending has risen sharply. America’s allies in the region have encouraged America to “rebalance” its military might into Asia and begun to strengthen co-operation between their own armed forces. Relations between America and China have been marred by fraught public disagreements.