Executive Summary: Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine has rapidly turned into a war of attrition. Along with Moscow’s difficulties raising an army and adequately equipping it, Russia is running out of the resource reserves left over from Soviet times. Senior Russian officials are... MORE

Executive Summary: Iran and Turkmenistan are rapidly expanding transit routes, enabling Tehran to expand its trade with Russia in support of Moscow’s effort to circumvent Western sanctions and boost its economic links with other Central Asian countries. This route is increasingly important to Russia because... MORE

Executive Summary: Since the Kremlin began its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the West imposed its sanctions against Moscow, Russia has been relying on China to supply materials to maintain its military-industrial complex. China does not wish to see Russia defeated as this would set... MORE

Executive Summary: New Network Data Security Management Regulations approved by the People’s Republic of China (PRC) State Council will serve as a national-level framework to clarify and enhance the implementation of existing laws, including the Cybersecurity Law (CSL), Data Security Law (DSL), and Personal Information... MORE

Executive Summary: As the new school year begins in Russia, the Kremlin is restructuring the curriculum to be more patriotic, teaching school children about “what is important,” including the “Fundamentals of Religious Culture” and military training. Due in part to limited access to technology and... MORE

Executive Summary: The Eastern Economic Forum, held in Vladivostok from September 3 to 6, demonstrated Moscow’s shortcomings in its commitment to pivoting its economic policy toward the Asia-Pacific, especially China. Stagnation rather than expansion is the trend in Russia-China economic interactions, as Chinese companies are... MORE

Executive Summary: The Kremlin has established the Maritime Collegium of the Russian Federation, which will focus on the preservation of Russia’s naval power, specifically in the Arctic and along the Northern Sea Route. International cooperation in the Arctic and China’s central role are significant components... MORE

Executive Summary: Beijing pushes an inaccurate narrative in Kyrgyz media, overstating the positive impact of its investment in and development aid to Kyrgyzstan and claiming that this makes it a trustworthy neighbor, according to analysis of thousands of local media sources. A survey of 1,000... MORE

Executive Summary: Key officials visited the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) in late August to explain the city’s political, economic, cultural, and security responsibilities. They signaled deeper integration with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) mainland while leveraging its unique international position. Hong Kong... MORE

Executive Summary: The Supreme People’s Court and Central Government Regulators have put State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) on notice for fraudulent accounting practices, releasing five case studies to name and shame bad actors. The Central government made clear SOE fraud carries both economic risk and reputational risk... MORE