Chinese President Xi Jinping has tightened his grip on power ahead of a likely unprecedented fourth term in 2027, reshaping global politics.
Xi, 73, who removed term limits in 2018, has purged senior military generals and promoted loyalists in the Politburo. At the recent Third Plenum, Beijing doubled down on "tech self-reliance" amid US chip bans and EU tariffs on Chinese EVs.
China's economy, though slowing to 4.5 percent growth, remains the world's second largest. Beijing is pushing the Belt and Road 2.0, lending $100 billion for green infrastructure in Africa and Latin America to counter US influence.
Tensions over Taiwan remain the flashpoint. The PLA held its largest ever drills around Taiwan in October 2026 after US approved $2 billion arms sales to Taipei. Xi reiterated that reunification is "inevitable."
On the global stage, China is brokering peace deals from Middle East to Africa and expanding BRICS, which now has 11 members including Indonesia.
Analysts say Xi's China is more assertive, offering an alternative to Western-led order, but faces demographic and debt challenges at home.
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