March Politburo meeting; PRC-Philippines tensions; Xi's meeting with US VIPs

It is always hard to restart the newsletter after a vacation, as I know I have missed a lot of stuff. I will try to backfill some of the interesting things from the last ten days in the next few issues.

Summary of today’s top items:

1. March Politburo meeting - The Politburo held its monthly meeting on Friday. The publicized topic was the “review of a comprehensive report on the second round of disciplinary inspection missions of the 20th CPC Central Committee.” SOEs in particular were a focus. From the readout: “It was emphasized at the meeting that state-owned enterprises (SOE) are the crucial material and political foundation for socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is imperative to uphold and consolidate the Party's leadership, and thoroughly study and put into practice Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era. SOEs must perform their duties and fulfill their missions in a down-to-earth manner, and must uphold General Secretary Xi Jinping's c…