Members of the Politburo Standing Committee from left, , Li Xi, Cai Qi, Zhao Leji, Xi Jinping, Li Qiang, Wang Huning and Ding Xuexiang attend the third plenary session of the 20th Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee held from July 15 to 18 in Beijing.

China’s 2026 Test Year: Preserving Stability While Projecting Power Ahead of a Defining Political Moment

As China steers into 2026, it does so in a year of careful calibration that analysts describe as a critical passage towards 2027, when the Communist Party’s 21st Party Congress will unveil the next slate of top leaders and could...