Hong Kong, Sept. 23 -- Images of Chairman Xi Jinping, dressed in a grey Mao suit, officiating at China's spectacular military parade through Beijing on 3 September, were carefully orchestrated.

The idea was to present to China and to the world a powerful leader in control of his nation's destiny. Constructing his political legacy, Xi is currently being unapologetically assertive overseas and reassuringly confident at home.

As China celebrated the 80th anniversary of Japan's defeat at the end of World War II, Xi was flanked by highly favoured comrades Vladimir Putin and Kim Jong-un, who many in the world despise and deride. Central and Southeast Asian nations were well represented too, although leaders from the Philippines, Singapore, So...