China's Communist Party adds Xi's name to its charter

China has announced a 7 per cent increase in its 2026 defence budget to roughly USD 277 billion. Amidst regional conflicts and military purges, Beijing is prioritising modernisation and "sovereign rights." While feeling vulnerable due to energy dependencies, China is choosing diplomatic engagement over direct military involvement in current global wars.

Speaking at a press briefing, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said that the country believes that dialogue and negotiation are the only viable solutions to resolving disputes and that the continued escalation of the conflict serves no one's interests.

The estimates were as per the government work reports submitted by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to the annual meeting of China's top legislature- the National People's Congress, which opened at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing this morning.

The 62-article draft Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress was submitted to the National People's Congress on September 8, 2025. An official explanatory document states that the law "implements General Secretary Xi Jinping's important thinking" on ethnic affairs and promotes "the common prosperity and development of all ethnic groups, along the path of rule of law."

One by one, Chairman Xi Jinping's political leader friends abroad are being whittled down by US military action. First there was President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, and the latest is Grand Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Iran after he was eliminated by Operation Epic Fury. Yet China can do nothing but wring its hands and lament unilateral American military action.