On Britannia - Thursday 1st July

Thursday 1st July, by Richard Payne and Jackson Scott

Good morning one and all. Today marks the ‘official’ centenary date of the Chinese Communist Party and many announcements from Xi Jinping, but the news cycle continues to turn beyond this.

In a continuation of the gradual eradication of freedoms in Hong Kong, China has announced its intent that the judiciary in Hong Kong take note of Chinese values and interests when making rulings.

Speaking at his annual televised Q&A session with the Russian people, President Putin said that even if Russia had sunk HMS Defender he did not believe it would have led to WW3.

Russia deploys ‘carrier killer’ hypersonic missiles to Mediterranean

First announced in 2019, and tested in 2020, Russia’s Kinzhal missile designed to travel several times faster than the speed of sound and destroy aircraft carriers and other ships has been deployed to an airbase in Syria ahead of HMS Queen Elizabeth entering the Suez Canal.

US leads strikes against Iran-backed militia groups - on the Iraqi-Syrian border, militia groups have come under fire from US airstrikes as the conflict continues in the region.

News from Parliament - The House of Lords continues to debate a new Environment Bill that hopes to expand the definition of ‘natural environment’ and making clearer distinction on products that are not flushable.

News from the think tank world - Chatham House are hosting an event on the 13th of July with the US chief negotiator of the New START treaty.

News from the Council on Geostrategy - we released a new explainer today from Dr. Holly Snape looking at the CCP Centenary and what it means, and have announced a new event on the 15th of July to discuss the Minsk Accords and the Ukrainian security crisis, with Dr. Mark Galeotti, Dr. Alexander Lanoszka, the Right Honourable Tobias Ellwood MP and His Excellency Vadym Prystaiko of the Ukrainian Embassy to the UK.

It’s been a busy week here at the Council on Geostrategy, so that’s all for today. We look forward to seeing you on Monday! All the best.