First proposed by Xi Jinping in 2017 and formalized in China’s 2018 Arctic Policy white paper, the “Polar Silk Road” (冰上丝绸之路) is China’s framework for Arctic engagement, extending Xi Jinping’s signature Belt and Road Initiative concept into polar waters. Centered on the Northeast Passage shipping route along Russia’s northern coast, it positions…

“Literary inquisition” is a practice rooted in imperial China whereby authorities persecute scholars, writers, and officials for content deemed subversive or disloyal to the ruling power. While officially condemned by the Chinese Communist Party as a relic of feudalism, the spirit of literary inquisition persists in the CCP’s own suppression of …

The reference to the media as a “mouthpiece” (喉舌) is not a slight against propaganda media as some may assume, but a term long used by the Chinese Communist Party itself to describe the role of the media. Translating literally to “throat and tongue,” the term defines the media’s role as faithfully projecting the voice of the Party, and accuratel…