Foreign Policy

Xi Jinping has spent the past week rolling out the red carpet for the world’s worst despots – otherwise known as China’s closest allies. Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian – the whole rogues’ gallery gathered in Beijing for what can only be described as a summit of tyrants. With military parades and grand diplomatic theater, Xi is sending an unmistakable message: China intends to lead an alternative world order . . .