China's Xi at centre of world stage after days of high-level hobnobbing

China's President Xi Jinping inspects the troops during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square on September 3, 2025. [AFP]

Two blockbuster events in China this week were a successful exposition of President Xi Jinping's vision of a new world order -- one that puts him and his country firmly at its centre while sidelining his rival the United States.

Since Saturday, Xi has met with almost 30 world leaders around the edges of a Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Tianjin and a huge military parade marking 80 years since World War II's end.