Third Plenum Resolution and Xi's Explainer; MSS video; PRC-Philippines deal over Second Thomas Shoal resupply?

Summary of today’s Essential Eight:

1. Third Plenum Resolution and Xi’s explainer - The “Resolution of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Further Deepening Reform Comprehensively to Advance Chinese Modernization” was published on Sunday, along with Xi’s explanation of the Resolution. I think that we still need to wait for specific policy implementation plans, and that we should not underestimate the impact of the five year deadline for these reforms in making policymakers more faster. But overall the resolution seems to confirm the existing direction of reforms under Xi, rather than any sort of a “course correction”. And from the language in the Resolution and the Explainer there are no obvious indications of any rebalancing the development vs security dynamic back towards development.

The secrecy around the preparations for this Third Plenum was impressive. In spite of confident predictions last year that a Third Plenum would be held some time in the Fall o…