Executive Summary: The Russian military-industrial complex has seen an increase in the output of military equipment in recent months despite a general downward trend in the country’s industrial sector. The increased productivity is in part due to the work of scientific institutions and universities that... MORE

Executive Summary: BeiDou enhances both the PRC’s strategic autonomy and its influence across the world. It has signed agreements with numerous countries to expand its use, including for military applications. An interoperability agreement with the US government diminishes the strategic value of GPS by eliminating... MORE

Executive Summary: The Jing-Jin-Ji region's integrated development embodies Xi Jinping's vision for the PRC and is one of his strategic priorities. Planning documents from the past decade detail ambitions to leverage the potential of this region’s 110 million people by designing a global center for... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia’s space program faces significant challenges, including heavy financial losses and a growing reliance on imported electronics Roscosmos aims to develop its own space station and launch vehicles, but lacks clear strategies and faces obstacles in domestic production and adequate resource allocation. The... MORE

Executive Summary: Russia has acknowledged its inability to compete with the West in space and is looking for solutions to shore up the weaknesses of its space program. Moscow views the military satellite systems of the United States and its allies as a significant military... MORE

Executive Summary: The conflict in Ukraine has prompted Russia to intensify its efforts to restrict internet freedom, leading to unprecedented measures against uncensored information and internet encryption. In response to censorship, Russian users have turned to VPN technology for accessing uncensored news. Russian officials are... MORE

Executive Summary: WuXi AppTec, a major Chinese biotechnology and pharmaceutical firm, claimed that the company has not, does not, and will not pose a national security risk to any country in response to new legislation introduced in the US Congress. The company's claims are undermined... MORE

Executive Summary The GBA, covering 56,000 square kilometers with 70 million people, aims to become a globally renowned economic and technological hub, comparable to bay areas like San Francisco, Tokyo, and New York. Its economic output surpasses 13 trillion RMB ($1.8 trillion) by 2022, exceeding... MORE

Decades of strategic investment in science at the central and local levels have manifested in significant advances in Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs, 脑机接口) (Xinhua, November 15, 2023). This nascent technology is an increasingly important part of China’s ambitions to become a science and technology superpower. A... MORE

On December 1, the first visa-free travelers entered China from a select group of mainly European countries: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and Malaysia (Xinhua, December 2). Expanding visa-free travel (for more than 72 hours) to these countries was arguably the most visible step... MORE