The Chinese Communist Party’s Third Plenum was largely about continuity, endorsing China’s current policy thrust rather than marking a decisive shift.

In the so-called Third Plenum to be held on July 15-18, China’s senior leadership will have an opportunity to establish the broad outlines of a policy framework that could reshape the country’s course for the next several years. Don’t count on it. There is good reason to think that China watchers in the West have unrealistic expectations of what is to come.

A deeper examination of the age cohorts of each generation of Chinese leaders gives insight into the trends that have developed within the CCP’s promotion structure and political trajectory.

China’s leaders have been sorted into generational brackets by decade of birth. This article examines the formative experiences and policy orientations of the post-1960s generation, which will dominate the Chinese leadership after the 20th Party Congress.

China is presently taking measures to reorganize its 31 province-level Party committees. As the 20th Party Congress approaches, understanding this reshuffling is crucial to assessing the current and future trajectory of China’s national leadership.

The year 2021 brought sweeping regulatory crackdowns and drastic foreign policy moves in China. The Chinese leadership also recognizes the competing needs to play hardball and maintain socioeconomic stability during this sensitive political season.

The new year marks 100 years of the Chinese Communist Party. The formation of the Party is a reminder of the challenges China faced within the past century, and its centennial represents the power it wields.

Major-country diplomacy with Chinese characteristics for the new era is the natural evolution of China’s achievements, development, and innovation over the past 70 years.

For its first two decades the PRC was anathema to the U.S. Not until Mao’s death in 1976 could one imagine normal relations between the two nations. Today the Chinese people have opportunities and freedoms once unimaginable. U.S. policy should focus on the long-term, encouraging coming generations in China to take control of their future.