Balance of Power: Xi’s plans for China are big, really big

We knew Xi Jinping had big ambitions for China. Today we learned how big.

In a three-and-a-half-hour speech to Communist Party cadres laden with historical sweep, Xi laid out a 30-year road map to solidify China's status a great power. By 2050, Xi said the country would lead the world in innovation, influence and military might — a model for the “whole humankind.”

Xi’s plan assumes China can manage a bunch of issues: Soaring debt, the expectations of a growing middle class and the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump. He may choose also to avoid potentially risky but much-needed structural economic reforms at home.

Still, his comments made clear China’s challenge to the U.S.-led international order.

As political upheaval draws Western democracies inward, Communist China has become a surprising advocate for globalization. The president warned that China and the world are in the midst of profound and complex changes.

Clues as to how long Xi, 64, intends to guide that vision could emerge next week when the party’s new top leaders are unveiled. That lineup may indicate if Xi plans to anoint a successor or lay the ground to keep power after 2022.