One belt and one road

Forum,  not summit,play low.

To challenge.. dominance, xi has been staging set piece events this year which showcase his claims to global leadership.

First he gave a speech against protectionism at .. in...

today nearly 30 heads of state and government will wind up a forum in Beijing celebrating his most ambitious foreign policy.

The belt and road initiative commits China to underwrite about 150 billion this year in infrastructure investments - roads railways ports power plants and fuel pipelines. In countries along the old Silk Road to Europe and its maritime counterpart.

Despite hullabaloo, the plan is suffering a backlash.

Some in China worry that the initiative is too sprawling. The forum is a vast coming of age party. But global leadership does not come easy.