Interpreting President Putin’s Speech at the 2019 BRI Forum

Interpreting President Putin’s Speech at the 2019 BRI Forum

President Putin left nothing to doubt when he proudly proclaimed that Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union regional integration organization that it leads are strategically merging with China and its Belt & Road Initiative, with this process having unprecedentedly far-reaching strategic consequences for the supercontinent and 21st-century geopolitics as a whole. This year’s Belt &…

One Country, Two Sessions, Multiple Tweaks

One Country, Two Sessions, Multiple Tweaks

Contrary to Western doom and gloom interpretations, China’s two sessions now taking place in Beijing offer a fascinating mix of realpolitik and soft power. Every year, the two sessions involve the National People’s Congress (NPC) – the legislative body – and the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) – the political advisory body – laying down the Chinese…