The future of China: How Beijing has shown the rest of the world it will play by its own rules

"This boasting propaganda, which was of course aimed at the Chinese people although it’s conducted externally, enables them to say to the Chinese people, ‘Look at what we’re doing in the world; China is leading the fight,’” said Mr Parton, now senior associate fellow at RUSI, a think tank. “This was, frankly, resented,” he said.