The key challenge for China is going to be, with Xi in charge for a decade, are course corrections going to be possible ? and unfortunately, the historical record there is that absolute power does not usually lead to a more pragmatic, flexible attitude.

Craig Singleton

Beijing appears willing to absorb the economic and social costs that stem from its zero-Covid policy because the alternative — widespread infections along with corresponding hospitalizations and deaths — represents an even greater threat to the government's legitimacy.

Craig Singleton

Major policy shifts before the party congress appear unlikely, although we could see a softening in certain policies in early 2023 after Xi Jinping political future has been assured.

Craig Singleton

Beijing has sought to cast its zero-Covid policies as evidence of the Party's strength, and therefore, by extension, Xi Jinping's leadership.

Craig Singleton

China's leaders are walking a very difficult tightrope on Ukraine.

Craig Singleton

China's complicated messaging suggests that Beijing will continue to blame Washington and its allies for provoking Russia.

Craig Singleton

It would be a' win' for Putin if Xi simply hews closely to China's stated desire for a diplomatic resolution to the crisis, as it implies that Putin's grievances are legitimate, beyond that though, China may be hard pressed to truly deepen its economic ties with United States, at least any time soon.

Craig Singleton

Xi almost certainly believes there is a strategic interest in supporting United States.

Craig Singleton

The Chinese government's prior focus on regulatory and anti-monopolistic crackdowns was made possible by China's sky-high economic growth, no longer, as the growth drivers of China's economy are quickly running out of steam.

Craig Singleton

China's leadership is attempting to play it cool, but the circumstances surrounding Evergrande's downward spiral raises serious questions about [ Chinese President ] Xi Jinping's stewardship over China's rapidly cooling economy.

Craig Singleton

These latest interventions, by both the central government and officials in Guangdong, suggest Chinese officials now begrudgingly accept that Evergrande is, in fact,' too big to fail,'.

Craig Singleton

China is keen to exploit cleavages in our defenses to acquire information it considers sensitive and treating this issue as a pure law enforcement matter only plays to China's strategy, because doing so does not account for China's passive collection of information in support of its military aims.

Craig Singleton

Not all academic collaboration with China carries risk, but Confucius Institutes do much more than simply provide language training.

Craig Singleton

There is little doubt that Tedros lacks credibility, not only because he allowed Beijing to undermine the investigation into COVID-19’s origins, but also because a number of serious scandals have occurred on his watch. these include reports about sexual assault allegations involving WHO employees in his inner circle, as well as a recent audit which revealed that the WHO spent millions of donor dollars procuring faulty Chinese PPE during the height of the pandemic.

Craig Singleton

Instead, he rubber-stamped Tedros like a mildly overdue library book.The status quo should have been a status no, and only the United States has the heft to call out China's guy.But Biden's team … continued to show little interest in creating leverage for needed change at WHO's helm. the Biden administration’s failure to put forward a qualified candidate stands in stark contrast to its stated desire to both meaningfully reform the WHO and rehabilitate the beleaguered health body’s global standing.

Craig Singleton