• President Xi Jinping is pushing the theme of national rejuvenation and global leadership during the current Chinese Communist Party congress, which is expected to give him a second five-year term by Wednesday.

But Mr. Xi’s global ambition has worried some nations. Australia is vexed by what it sees as Beijing’s meddling in domestic politics, and in Southeast Asia and Africa, there are complaints about a new era of Chinese colonialism.

And in China’s hinterlands, locals complain of a stark disconnect between Mr. Xi’s bright promises and their own hardscrabble reality.