
Latest Articles about China

Rigging the Game: PRC Oil Structures Encroach on Taiwan’s Pratas Island
Executive Summary: Beijing’s relentless pressure on Taiwan now includes oil rigs: twelve permanent or semi-permanent structures and dozens of associated ships. The structures, which are owned by state-owned firm CNOOC, include seven rig structures, three floating production storage and offloading (FPSO) vessels, and two semi-submersible... MORE

PLA Declares World-Class Ambitions with ‘Strongest Army’ Benchmark
Executive Summary: For the first time, an official PRC publication explicitly defines its goal to “establish a world-class army” (建设世界一流军队) standards as equivalent to the “world’s strongest military”(实力最强的军队), marking a direct competitive framework with the United States and other leading powers. Released weeks before the... MORE

Guns of September: What a Parade May Reveal About China’s Military Modernization
Executive Summary: The People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) upcoming military parade marking the 80th anniversary of the end of WWII will serve as both a symbolic display and an operational exercise, highlighting the PLA’s advancements in new combat domains—such as unmanned systems, directed energy, and... MORE

Experts Reminded of Central Mission at Summer Retreat
Executive Summary: This August, 62 experts from the fields of science and technology, philosophy and social sciences, and basic research were invited to take a vacation and meet with senior officials in Beidaihe as part of an annual tradition that dates back to at least... MORE

Embodied Intelligence: The PRC’s Whole-of-Nation Push into Robotics
Executive Summary: Since 2015, Beijing has pursued a whole-of-nation strategy to dominate intelligent robotics, combining vertical integration, policy coordination, rapid deployment, and local experimentation. This approach has already achieved several of its core objectives. Policy documents articulate an official focus on core trends and technologies... MORE

Inroads in Algeria: The Promise and Perils of Beijing’s Localization Strategy
Executive Summary: The One Belt One Road initiative is evolving, with Chinese enterprises beginning to localize. In Algeria, this has led to increased exposure to the corruption and mismanagement that continue to plague the country’s economy. This is leading to tensions with Beijing’s pragmatic commitment... MORE

Smart Device Empire, Part 2: Policy Underpins PRC’s Global IoT Ambitions
Executive Summary: Beijing views control over the platforms, standards, and data flows of the Internet of Things (IoT) era as a source of lasting structural leverage, and has spent more than a decade positioning itself at the center of this emerging system. The PRC’s share... MORE

Hong Kong’s Crypto Bet Is Starting To Pay Off
Executive Summary: Hong Kong launched a new stablecoin regime on August 1, continuing its cautious embrace of emerging financial products nearly three years after declaring its intention to become a digital assets hub. In anticipation of the new regime, July saw a flurry of fundraising... MORE

Evolving Blue Economy Propels PRC Maritime Ambitions
Executive Summary: Beijing’s maritime strategy hinges on expanding what it calls the “blue economy,” which is increasingly integrated with broader strategic ambitions under the rubric of becoming a “strong sea power.” Central government policies and five-years plans call for deeper cross-regional integration to support the... MORE

Terminal Authority: Assessing the CCP’s Emerging Crisis of Political Succession
Executive Summary: Xi Jinping continues to dominate the Chinese Party-state system, based on an assessment of evidence from spring and summer 2025. Despite high-level purges, unusual military reshuffles, and persistent rumors of elite dissatisfaction, there is no visible indication that Xi’s personal authority has meaningfully... MORE