The Chinese era.

China's rise to glory is no secret. It is undoubtedly the most competent and eligible competitor of this era. What differentiates it from other major powers, especially the reigning superpower, the US, is its national resilience and recourse to a proactive diplomacy, rather than opting for gunboat realpolitik. The case in point is its umpteen discords on the global mosaic ranging from Taiwan to India, and from ASEAN to Australia and Washington. But its principled approach to address the bilateral differences in the trade and territorial realms through soft power is unprecedented, and makes it a responsible player on the world stage. Its recent diplomacy in the Middle East and Afghanistan is laudable and convincingly puts it on the map of world leadership.

President Xi Jinping leads from the front in making the difference felt on the global horizon. The fact that China has lifted 70 million people in the last three decades from the abyss of poverty is an unparalleled achievement. Likewise, its BRI that plans to link five continents and around 100 states in commerce and connectivity is a landmark feast. Coupled with this is its global development and security paradigms that shun warfare and encourage member...