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In "Wolf Warrior II," Chinese action star Wu Jing portrays a super-patriot who rescues both fellow countrymen and oppressed Africans with help from the People's Liberation Army.

Audiences loved what became China's biggest-grossing movie ever. Some reportedly sang the national anthem as the movie closed on an image of a Chinese passport and the words, "Please remember, at your back stands a strong motherland."

This red-blooded nationalism has been channeled skillfully by Communist Party leader President Xi Jinping as he seeks to strengthen the party's role in Chinese life and shepherd the country's rise as a superpower.

Xi's muscular foreign policy could become even more assertive following this month's party congress, where he's expected to get a second five-year term as party secretary general.