“The Fourth Plenum of the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Committee (20–23 October, 2025) did not produce any breakthrough decisions. What it delivered instead was something far less tangible but more revealing: a change in tone. In the official communiqué, the word “security” appears twenty-seven times, while “innovation” is mentioned just three times. The ratio speaks for itself. China is no longer articulating its future in terms of growth, but in terms of survival. What Beijing presents as a strategy for safeguarding the system still tends to be read in Europe as a form of economic policy — and that disconnect is telling.”- writes in the cir’s analysis Dr. Maciej Gaca, Professor at Nicolaus Copernicus University in Toruń, Member of the Asian Observatory at the Centre for International Relations; sinologist, linguist and diplomat. Between 2015 and 2019 he served as Director General of the Polish Office in Taipei. He is a lecturer at the Institute of Cultural Studies, Faculty of Humanities, NicolausCopernicus University in Toruń.
