The CCP Politburo holds “collective study sessions” on a semi-regular basis, in which an outside academic or government expert leads a discussion on a selected topic. Such sessions are important signals as to what issues the senior leadership finds important. The 16th collective study session of the 20th Central Committee Politburo was held on July 31, 2024 and was presided over by Xi Jinping. At this session, Xi delivered a speech emphasizing the need to improve, strengthen and modernize the sea, air, and border defense systems to achieve China’s modernization and ensure overall national security.

Zhang Jie, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, analyzes growing coordination among the United States, Japan, and the Philippines. Zhang frames this trilateral coordination as evidence that Washington is aiming to expand its economic and security influence in the region. In response, Zhang recommends Beijing strengthen diplomatic and economic engagement with its neighbors in the Asia-Pacific, focusing in particular on small and medium-sized states.

The CCP Politburo holds “collective study sessions” on a semi-regular basis, in which an outside academic or government expert leads a discussion on a selected topic. Such sessions are important signals as to what issues the senior leadership finds important. The 15th collective study session of the 20th Central Committee Politburo was held on June 27, 2024 and was presided over by Xi Jinping. At this session, Xi delivered a speech emphasizing the need to improve and strengthen the Party and its leadership over the government by encouraging Party education and strengthening policy implementation and cadre supervision mechanisms.

This piece, written prior to the Putin-Kim summit in June 2024, analyzes deepening ties between Russia and North Korea amid an increase in high-level diplomatic visits. The authors argue that the bilateral relationship is entering a new stage, driven by shared assessments of the regional and global order, Russia’s strategic reorientation away from Europe and the West, and mutual diplomatic and economic needs. The authors warn that increasingly close Russia-North Korea ties may further destabilize regional security in Northeast Asia.

Li Min, a researcher at the China Institute of International Studies, provides an overview of Russia’s shifting relations with North and South Korea, pointing to increasingly close ties between Moscow and Pyongyang. Conversely, Li suggests, Russia’s previously strong relations with South Korea have deteriorated since its invasion of Ukraine and Seoul’s support for Kyiv. Despite these trends, in Li’s analysis it is unlikely that Russia will completely abandon its relationship with South Korea, just as its burgeoning trade partnership with North Korea has its limits.

An expert on Taiwan and cross-Strait relations delves deep into the concept of public opinion and its role in Taiwan’s political system. The author seeks to discredit public opinion trends in Taiwan through a variety of arguments, such as by suggesting they are manipulated through strategic question design and often purely a reflection of elite opinion.

Wu Yi, a Taiwan scholar from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, provides an in-depth analysis of the January 2024 legislative and executive elections in Taiwan. Wu suggests Lai Ching-te’s poor performance relative to Tsai Ing-wen in 2020 and gains for the opposition in the legislature foreshadow growing political polarization in Taiwan and uncertainties for cross-Strait relations going forward.

In this January 2024 interview, head of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology Jin Zhuanglong outlines China’s strategy for “new industrialization.” Jin emphasizes the importance of upgrading advanced manufacturing through integration of cutting-edge technologies, consolidating China’s leadership in emerging strategic sectors in which it has an advantage, and supporting small firms that might be benefited by application of AI and other technologies in their production methods.

This lengthy piece outlines the underlying logic behind China’s new industrial upgrading policy, dubbed “new industrialization.” Jin Zhuanglong, head of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, lays out what he sees as key accomplishments and challenges for China’s industrial system going forward. Jin details steps Beijing will undertake to advance the manufacturing sector, emphasizing the need to better integrate and synergize technology innovation, digitalization, and industrial upgrading.

The CCP Politburo holds “collective study sessions” on a semi-regular basis, in which an outside academic or government expert leads a discussion on a selected topic. Such sessions are important signals as to what issues the senior leadership finds important. The 14th collective study session of the 20th Central Committee Politburo was held on May 27, 2024 and was presided over by Xi Jinping. At this session, Xi delivered a speech emphasizing the need to expand employment, especially for college graduates and younger demographics more broadly, including through policy support for industries with high employment capacity and better aligning talent pipelines with such industries.