"The effort includes signature shows of soft power: Xi’s multibillion-dollar “Belt and Road” program to build a global trade and infrastructure network with China at its center, and his “Made in China 2025” plan to turn the country into a high-tech manufacturing giant."<p>I want to stress this (tangential) part - China really hopes to significantly expand trade routes around Asia, Europe, and Africa, and it's strange how little we hear about it.