Where does China stand on the world stage?

When President Xi Jinping was sworn-in for a second term, he declared that China has now stood up, grown rich, become strong, and is moving towards the centre stage.

Xi announced that China wants a greater role on the world stage. However, growing disputes, debt-trap diplomacy and lapses during the Covid-19 pandemic are hurting China on the world stage.

Let's measure where china stands in the world and how its expansionist agenda has upended the international rules-based order.

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As of today, at least 10 countries have a dispute with China. These disputes range from diplomatic tussles to territorial claims. The United States and Australia are fighting a trade war with China. India is engaged in a border standoff and there are multiple flashpoints on the high seas - the South China Sea and the East China Sea.

The list of disputes is much longer, but China buys the silence of many countries. It repossesses smaller countries when they can't keep up with debt payments.

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Furthermore, China has been blamed for concealing the early spread of the virus. Initially, more than 60 countries initially pushed for a probe into the Wuhan virus outbreak and its origins. And now, the list includes over 100 countries.

Chinese propaganda claims it's already a superpower, ready to takeover global institutions and reshape the world. But, the growing disputes, the debt traps and demands to make China pay clearly indicate that Beijing can't impose its rule on the world.