![](/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/CB_Logo.jpg)
Latest China Brief Articles
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/nationalday.png)
China’s 2027 Goal Marks the PLA’s Centennial, Not an Expedited Military Modernization
Introduction China has added a new short-term milestone to its existing slate of military modernization goals. While noteworthy in its own right, the new benchmark is not a sign that China is sprinting to basically complete the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) ahead... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/coup.png)
China and the Myanmar Junta: A Marriage of Convenience
Introduction On February 1, the Myanmar military (also known as the Tatmadaw) staged a coup to overthrow the democratically elected National League for Democracy (NLD) government and subsequently imposed a year-long state of emergency. NLD leaders, including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and President... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/panda2.png)
Beijing Speaks on the Proposed Group of Seven Expansion
Introduction Leaders of the Group of Seven (G7)—an informal bloc of industrialized nations which includes Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States—met virtually on February 19 in preparation for an upcoming June summit. The meeting focused on intensifying health cooperation; expanding vaccine... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/chen1.png)
Directions Forward for Chinese Rare Earths After the Two Sessions
Following heightened U.S.-China tensions last year, the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the “Draft Regulations on Rare Earth Management” (稀土管理条例(征求意见稿), xitu guanli tiaolie (zhengqiu yijian gao)) on January 15. The new regulations propose stricter management of China’s rare earths industry, including... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/march.png)
A New Step Forward in PLA Professionalization
Introduction A linchpin of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA)’s transformation into a “world-class military” is whether it can recruit, cultivate, and retain talent, especially among the officer corps tasked with planning and conducting future wars. Uneven progress over the past few decades has meant that... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/klimes.png)
China’s Xinjiang Propaganda and United Front Work in Turkey: Part Two
Introduction The accelerated repression of Uyghurs and other ethnic minorities inside and outside of the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR) since 2016 has highlighted the Chinese state’s extreme methods of governance and power projection abroad. The crisis in Xinjiang has become a liability for the... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/yadav1.png)
Is the Growth of Sino-Nepal Relations Reducing Nepal’s Autonomy?
Introduction Commonly held economic theory generally suggests that foreign aid benefits the recipient. But so far, China’s bilateral relations with Nepal—which are based upon generous pledges of foreign direct investment (FDI)—have created a power imbalance. China’s outsized influence in Nepal was most recently highlighted by... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/lam1-640x385.png)
Early Warning Brief – China’s NPC and CPPCC: Xi Defies the West by Boosting Technological Self-Sufficiency And Crushing Hong Kong’s Freedoms
(Editor's note: This article was updated on March 15.) Introduction President Xi Jinping has boosted China’s ability to defy foreign threats by promoting technological self-sufficiency and tightening freedoms previously granted to Hong Kong. Projections of major domestic and diplomatic initiatives up to the year 2035... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/chen1-1.png)
China Moves Ahead on Digital Yuan Before 2022 Winter Olympics
Introduction With the People’s Republic of China (PRC) a frontrunner in the global race towards digital currency, the central bank People’s Bank of China (PBOC) has taken several steps this year to explore the international use of a digital yuan (e-CNY). Although there is no... MORE
![](/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/xijinping.png)
China’s Updated National Defense Law: Going for Broke
Introduction On January 1, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) put into effect new revisions to its National Defense Law (henceforth, “Law”) (中华人民共和国国防法 zhonghua renmin gonghe guo guofang fa) (Xinhua, December 26, 2020; South China Morning Post, January 3).[1] This is the first update since... MORE