The world’s most populous nation has long trailed not just China but also smaller countries with nimbler governments.

In Flushing, Queens, fresh produce, soy sauces and seaweed-flavored snacks line the aisles at Chang Jiang Supermarket. Chang Jiang sits amid a row of stores in this majority-Asian community, where ...

WSJ reporter Jon Emont explains how Chinese President Xi Jinping’s tour of Southeast Asia aims to portray China as a more reliable trading partner than the U.S. and highlights the strategic importance ...