[Oddly, I read somewhere that Xi had initially been a compromise candidate between different factions, and wasn’t seen as a particularly strong executive. And, that that’s one of the reasons he achieved the premier-ship.
Bad call, if that was true. ]
He was viewed as unambitious. Then he took power and purged the factions who elevated him to his position. Xi Jinping’s forceful actions re purging his peers and rivals to an extent unprecedented since Mao suggests he’s not interested in being an economic administrator like his immediate predecessors. I fully expect him to move against some external target within his lifetime. His intent is to stamp his name in the history books. At 68, he’s no spring chicken, so he needs to get going.
I think he will go against Taiwan first and Manila almost simultaneously to ensure access to the entire Pacific - without the Philippines he is bottled up, and Duterte has fallen inline with Beijing as of late.