China’s fertilizer policy illustrates a shift from overuse to efficiency, while fertilizers themselves are increasingly treated as a strategic resource and a tool of influence—particularly in Africa, with multilateral institutions such as the FAO providing political legitimacy. At the same time, Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin’s visit to China underscores the limits of European pragmatism amid friendships with the U.S. and the EU. In parallel, the CCP continues to expand the “50,000 in Five Years” program, using people-to-people diplomacy as a long-term investment in shaping future U.S. elites. Download the full January issue with commentary here. Read the full January analysis and commentary here.