On Thursday, Xi Jinping addressed his 1.4 billion citizens in celebration of the Chinese Communist Party’s centenary. Xi said he would spare no effort in ensuring that China becomes a “great modern socialist country” by 2049. Those who sought to restrain China’s advance, Xi said, would face a bloody riposte.

China intends to displace the United States as the preeminent global power, ordering the world around autocracy and feudal mercantilism. The U.S. has a duty to stop China’s march.