2025 Issue 43

As the Chinese Communist Party finishes its fourth plenum of the 20^th Party Congress, there is increasing interest and debate into Xi Jinping’s succession planning and the opacity of how the Party plans for the future.

In response to Beijing’s massive curbs on rare earths, Washington is considering an equally massive set of restrictions on software to the PRC which could grind the Chinese economy to a halt.

This week, Washington and Canberra hammered out a critical minerals agreement to mitigate the effects of PRC restrictions and as the two leaders were meeting, PRC fighter jets threaten an Australian patrol aircraft in international airspace over the South China Sea.

As the United States and Australia coordinated on defense and economic security issues, the Canadian Foreign Minister reiterated her desire to expand Canada’s “strategic partnership” with the People’s Republic of China.