Institutional power file · CPC leadership
Chinese Communist Party Politburo
How senior party leadership, the Politburo and its Standing Committee sit at the centre of China's party-state decision-making system.
Power mechanisms
Where authority actually moves
Latest analysis
7 related pieces2026-10-01
Analysis
Analysis
A Military Readiness Date Is Not an Invasion Calendar
US officials increasingly consider a Chinese invasion of Taiwan before 2028 unlikely, while the intelligence community says Beijing has no fixed timeline. The distinction between capability and intent is central to credible deterrence.
2026-09-25
Analysis
Analysis
The Trump-Xi State Visit Formalised a Managed Stalemate
Washington and Beijing created new channels and limited trade concessions without resolving the disputes that structure their rivalry. Ceremony became a tool for stabilising competition rather than evidence of strategic convergence.
2026-09-25
Analysis
Analysis
Trump and Xi's Washington Summit Shows How a G2 Can Grow Without Ever Being Declared
While the UN gathered in New York, the two leaders whose decisions most directly shape trade, AI and security met separately in Washington. The contrast says something important about where practical power is moving.
2026-09-25
Analysis
Analysis
Taiwan Is Becoming the Hard Limit of the Trump-Xi Bargain
Beijing wants Washington to revisit the logic of the 1982 arms-sales communiqué while the United States treats Taiwan's defence as both a security commitment and negotiating leverage. That makes the island qualitatively different from the summit's trade disputes.
2026-09-23
News
News
Xi Begins Three-Day US State Visit With Trump Talks Set to Cover Trade, AI and Security
Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting the United States from September 23 to 25 at Donald Trump's invitation, with bilateral talks expected to address the countries' increasingly broad strategic relationship.
2026-09-13
Analysis
Analysis
BRICS Is Becoming More Important and Less Coherent at the Same Time
Expansion gives the bloc reach across the Global South, but every new member adds competing interests that make unified geopolitical action harder.
2026-07-27
Analysis
Analysis
BRICS Matters Most Where the West Leaves Institutional Space
The bloc does not need to become a coherent anti-Western alliance to expand China's influence. It only needs to offer useful alternatives often enough.
Primary record
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