Executive Summary: Xi Jinping has elevated Command Innovation to the core logic of the People’s Republic of China’s economy—superseding traditional growth drivers by fusing “self-reliant” strategic-industrial planning with direct financial control. This engineered system gives Beijing new leverage over how capital is deployed and who... MORE

Executive Summary: The Xi Jinping–Lee Jae Myung phone call on June 10 signals a tactical thaw after years of strain under Yoon Suk Yeol, reviving “good-neighborly friendship” language and soft power channels Beijing had suspended when Yoon restarted work on deploying the U.S. missile defense... MORE

Executive Summary: Brazil, a strategic partner to the People’s Republic of China (PRC), is taking a co-leading role in shaping a regional economic order decoupled from U.S.-centric trade and financial norms. The most consequential outcome of President Lula’s recent visit to Beijing was the signing... MORE

Executive Summary: Predicting artificial intelligence (AI) firm DeepSeek’s recent successes within a highly competitive AI ecosystem may have been possible by observing factors such as government recognition, proximity to top-tier national research institutions, and a complex network of corporate affiliates with proven technology expertise. Indicators... MORE

Executive Summary: The contrasting fates of foreign companies in two recent fraud cases suggest that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) treats firms differently depending on their political utility. AstraZeneca has been guilty of widespread medical insurance fraud but has probably been treated leniently by... MORE

Executive Summary: The People’s Republic of China (PRC) continues to use Hong Kong to test policies and build support for the internationalization of its currency, the renminbi (RMB). The city is now the world’s largest offshore RMB clearing center. The Cross-border Interbank Payment System (CIPS)... MORE

Executive Summary: Two major developments have followed the Third Plenum in July. First, a series of economic data releases indicated that the plenum had done nothing to improve the country’s short-term outlook. Second, a series of stimulus measures were announced over a two-week period, that... MORE

Executive Summary: In a departure from the long-term economic program announced at the Third Plenum in July, the Party leadership used an unusual politburo meeting in September to acknowledge “new situations and challenges” in the economy, unveiling its most significant stimulus package in recent years.... MORE

Executive Summary: In an apparent U-turn, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has initiated stimulus policies that have boosted the stock market and are attempting to jump-start key sectors and meet the annual GDP growth target of 5 percent. In the last week of September,... 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