Government/Politics – Page 3

Xi Jinping’s U.S. Visit: A Display of Political Power Ahead of the 21st Party Congress

Xi Jinping is expected to visit the United States from September 23 to 25 and meet with President Trump on September 24, roughly one year before the 21st National Congress of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Chinese political observers say Beijing hopes the summit will help stabilize economic and business expectations, while Xi could use the high-profile diplomatic engagement to demonstrate his control over foreign policy and upcoming personnel arrangements within the Party.

Xi’s visit comes as attention focuses on whether he will continue as CCP General Secretary and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, potentially entering a fourth term. Beijing has not announced any such arrangements or publicly discussed a potential successor.

A Chinese political scholar said official-media coverage of a Xi-Trump meeting at the White House could reinforce Xi’s image as the leader directing China’s major-power diplomacy. A military affairs scholar said Xi’s overseas visit, amid continuing changes in the PLA leadership, could serve as a domestic display of his political influence and control over the military command system.

Chinese state media have already established a favorable narrative around Xi’s summit diplomacy. People’s Daily described head-of-state diplomacy in May as the “compass” and “rudder” of China-U.S. relations, saying Xi and Trump had helped “calibrate the trajectory” of bilateral ties at a critical moment. Beijing has also promoted the concept of building a “constructive China-U.S. relationship of strategic stability.”

Source: Radio Free Asia, September 9, 2026
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhengzhi/waijiao/2026/09/09/china-xi-jinpings-visit-to-the-us-trump-21st-national-congress-of-the-cpc/

Briefings | | September 21, 2026 | Government/Politics US-China Relations

Chinese Documentary Filmmaker Du Bin Sentenced to 18 Months Over Criticism of National Leaders

Chinese documentary filmmaker and writer Du Bin was detained by Beijing police in October 2025 on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and sentenced to 18 months in prison on August 28. His family has not received the judgment or an official court notification. During his mother’s final illness, the family requested that he be allowed to return home to see her, but the court denied the request. His mother died on August 24, four days before he was sentenced.

Du, a former Beijing-based photographer for The New York Times, has long documented the experiences of petitioners, former labor-camp detainees, and other social groups through photography, documentaries, and books. According to China Human Rights Defenders, about 40 of his reposts or comments on political issues on X were cited as evidence in his conviction. Earlier reports said the alleged offense had at one point been described as “attacking national leaders.” However, “attacking national leaders” is not a formal offense under China’s Criminal Law, and Du was ultimately convicted of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble.”

Du has previously been detained on similar charges. In 2013, he was detained after producing a documentary about alleged torture of Falun Gong practitioners at the Masanjia Women’s Forced Labor Camp and was released after 37 days. He later published several books in Hong Kong and Taiwan about the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp and the Tiananmen Square Massacre. In December 2020, he was again detained on suspicion of “picking quarrels and provoking trouble” and released after 37 days. During that case, police investigated his books, publishing activities, finances, and possible foreign funding. Du denied wrongdoing and said his publications and financial activities were lawful.

Source: Epoch Times, September 8, 2026
https://www.rfa.org/mandarin/zhengzhi/renquan/2026/09/08/china-journalist-du-bin-provoking-trouble-documentary-producer/

Briefings | | September 17, 2026 | Government/Politics

CCP Advisor: China’s Population Decline Is Such a Serious Issue That It Cannot Wait

Jin Canrong (金灿荣) is a Chinese international relations scholar who serves as an advisor to senior Chinese Communist Party officials. He recently published an article warning Chinese officials that the country’s population decline and aging problems are becoming increasingly severe:

China’s population decline is a “slow-changing” issue whose full impact may not become apparent for several years, but it has already become increasingly urgent. China’s competition with the West is not just with the 300 million people in the United States, but with roughly 1 billion people across the West. Population is an extremely important strategic resource. Governments at all levels should strengthen their sense of urgency, increase policy support, and improve implementation to slow the population decline.

The seriousness of population loss can be seen in the three northeastern provinces and Inner Mongolia, where some cities with populations of around 1 million reportedly have only several hundred births a year, while once-busy commercial districts have become deserted. China’s population is also aging, with statistics showing that the median age reached 41.98 in 2025, which could have significant effects on the country’s economic and social development.

China’s large population base has contributed to its talent and engineering advantages. While many skilled workers are developed through education and training, a large population provides a broader base from which talent can emerge. Without a sufficiently large number of newborns, maintaining a large pool of highly capable talent could become more difficult.

Social awareness of China’s population challenges has grown in recent years, but current government measures remain relatively moderate and should be strengthened. Addressing the underlying causes of population decline would require substantial financial and other resources, but the cost will be even bigger if we delay our actions.

Source: Guancha, September 7, 2026
https://user.guancha.cn/main/content?id=1731571

Briefings | | September 15, 2026 | @CS Economy/Resources Government/Politics

Xi Jinping’s Health Questioned During BRICS Summit in New Delhi (Updated)

Questions about Xi Jinping’s health emerged during the BRICS Summit in New Delhi after Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi briefly interrupted his opening remarks on September 12 to ask Xi twice, “Is it OK?” Footage broadcast by India’s Doordarshan showed a staff member approaching Xi and handing him something, although it was unclear what had happened. The incident nevertheless triggered online speculation about Xi’s health. Some Indian media reports offered an alternative explanation, suggesting that it could have been related to a microphone or translation issue.

Independent commentator Xiang Yang made another observation, saying that Xi appeared to have difficulty walking up the aircraft stairs when leaving India. He described Xi as showing apparent weakness on the left side of his body. Xiang speculated that this could indicate damage to the right side of the brain, which controls movement on the left side of the body. This was Xiang Yang’s speculation and has not been medically confirmed.

Update:

Russian state broadcaster Russia-1 reported that the “Is it OK?” incident was likely caused by a malfunctioning simultaneous-translation earpiece, rather than a health issue. Its released footage showed Xi’s aides examining and adjusting his earpiece and receiver before providing replacement equipment, which Xi then tested and adjusted himself.

However, Xi was absence from the summit dinner that evening. This also prompted speculation. Russian media attributed it to his busy schedule, reporting that he returned to his hotel to rest after the day’s activities.

Sources:
{1} Epoch Times, September 14, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/9/14/n14849131.htm
{2} Yahoo (Taiwan), September 18, 2026
https://tw.news.yahoo.com/影-俄媒還原現場-莫迪兩問習近平-還好嗎-疑因翻譯耳機出包-055804628.html

Briefings | | September 14, 2026 | Government/Politics

CCP Establishes New Central Leading Group to Strengthen Social Governance

The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has established a new Central Leading Group for Social Governance (中共中央社会治理工作领导小组), headed by Politburo Standing Committee member Cai Qi, to improve cross-departmental coordination, strengthen social governance, and maintain social stability. The group is believed to have been established around the time of the Central Social Work Conference in November 2025, although its existence was publicly disclosed only later by local authorities.

The CCP established the Central Social Work Department in 2023 to oversee social work and grassroots Party-building. Since then, it has strengthened Party-building and management of the 84 million “new employment groups,” including delivery workers, couriers, and ride-hailing drivers. It has also tightened regulation of national industry associations and chambers of commerce.

Cai Qi is believed to head the Central Leading Group for Social Governance, with Li Ganjie, Li Shulei, Chen Wenqing, and Mu Hong serving as deputy heads. Local disclosures subsequently confirmed the group’s establishment. In April, authorities in Henan’s Sheqi County stated that the group’s office was located within the Central Social Work Department, while in August, officials in Zhejiang’s Chun’an County referred to directives from a meeting of the central group.

In July, the CCP Central Committee and the State Council issued guidelines on strengthening social work in the new era, calling for stronger Party influence in emerging sectors, greater Party-building efforts within internet-platform companies, and new approaches to Party-building in technology companies. The guidelines also called for improved petition and complaint-handling mechanisms and for social conflicts to be resolved at the grassroots level before they escalate.

Source: Mingpao, September 8, 2026
https://news.mingpao.com/pns/中國/article/20260908/s00013/1788800364595/中國透視-中央社會治理小組-橫空殺出-蔡奇掛帥-文-劉實

Briefings | | September 9, 2026 | Government/Politics

China Steps Up Xi Jinping Ideology in School Textbooks

Chinese Vice Premier Ding Xuexiang called for strengthening the Communist Party’s oversight of textbook development, saying schools must “firmly grasp the correct political direction and value orientation,” according to state broadcaster Xinhua. Ding made the remarks at a national textbook conference in Beijing on September 8.

Ding said China should deepen its grasp of education’s “political, people-oriented, and strategic attributes” and accelerate building a textbook system with “Chinese characteristics.” He called for using “Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era” to shape students’ values, and for stricter management of textbook editing, review, and selection.

Separately, the Party mouthpiece People’s Daily ran a front-page article the previous day describing textbooks as a matter of “state authority” supporting China’s push to become an “education powerhouse.” According to the article, unified textbooks for morals and rule of law, Chinese language, and history now cover all school levels nationwide, with a revision process begun in 2022 completed this fall. A student reader based on Xi’s ideology has been used nationwide since 2021, purportedly fostering student “identification with and confidence in” Communist Party rule.

The article noted a new section, “the CCP as the mainstay of the war of resistance,” was added to a history-textbook chapter on the victory over Japan. It also said a university-level textbook on “socialist political economy with Chinese characteristics,” incorporating Xi’s policy concepts, has been piloted at more than 40 universities since spring 2025. China’s education ministry reportedly aims to complete a self-directed textbook system covering 29 academic disciplines by 2030, alongside a separate biology-textbook initiative involving over 50 academicians.

Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), September 8, 2026
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202609080336.aspx

Briefings | | September 9, 2026 | Government/Politics

Secret 2017 Xinjiang Police Manual Reveals Extensive “Return Prevention” System to Control People

A confidential 2017 police document obtained by The Epoch Times reportedly reveals a multilayered system within Xinjiang’s public security apparatus for restricting overseas travel and monitoring people returning from abroad. The document, titled “2017 Work Manual for ‘Preventing Return’ by Public Security Agencies Directly Under Ili Prefecture,” describes a system in which Xinjiang police authorities established 35 categories of people subject to overseas travel restrictions, while Ili’s local authorities added another 17 categories of priority targets.

The restrictions reportedly covered a broad range of groups, including key security targets, people associated with alleged threats to national security, Christians and Catholics, individuals designated as members or associates of the “three forces”—Beijing’s term for terrorism, separatism, and religious extremism—as well as relatives of people who had sought political asylum overseas and individuals who frequently communicated with people abroad using foreign or domestic messaging applications. The document also identifies relatives of people killed, executed, or punished for alleged security-related offenses as additional targets.

As part of the “return prevention” campaign, Ili authorities reportedly established eight broad categories of people and nine additional categories of priority targets. These included people involved in terrorism-related activities overseas and their relatives, people who had illegally left China, individuals whose whereabouts were unknown, people who had lived abroad for extended periods and suddenly returned home, individuals who had changed their identities after going overseas, and people who had renounced Chinese citizenship.

According to the document, people on these lists could face intensive monitoring and investigation upon returning to China. Authorities could reportedly flag them at border checkpoints, interrogate them, and inspect their electronic devices and communications. If they passed through border controls without being questioned, an integrated surveillance system could alert local police and community personnel, who were instructed to make face-to-face contact within a specified period and conduct follow-up monitoring for at least 90 days. The reported system illustrates how Xinjiang authorities combined travel restrictions, border screening, digital surveillance, and grassroots monitoring to prevent targeted individuals from returning to the region and scrutinize their overseas contacts, finances, and political and religious activities.

Source: Epoch Times, August 26, 2026
https://www.epochtimes.com/gb/26/8/25/n14836601.htm

Briefings | | September 2, 2026 | Defense/Military Government/Politics

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