China will escalate its challenge to the U.S.-led world order, using a rare Communist Party conference this week to map out a strategy to raise its profile and power on the global stage.
President Xi Jinping and other senior leaders pledged to raise China’s influence on world events "to a new level,” according to a government statement issued late Thursday after the conference.
"We must reject all acts of power politics and bullying, and vigorously defend our national interests and dignity,” it said, an allusion to what it sees as Washington's anti-China lobbying.