Summary of the Essential Eight:

1. Document #1 on rural issues - As usual, on rural issues, this year’s, for the third year in the row, on rural revitalization. According to a report in Securities Times, for the first time it includes the term "Harmonious countryside," replacing the previous "beautiful countryside."

2. Balloon mess expands - The US shot down three more unidentified objects in the last several days, though there has been no official identification of their origins. It sure sounds like these things have been overflying the US for years, and with better technology and fewer filters the US may be seeing lots more. The PRC Foreign Ministry spokesperson claimed that in the last year 10 US balloons have flown into PRC airspace. The US has blacklisted six entities it says are linked to the balloon surveillance program. This mess is just not going away any time soon.

3. Blinken may meet Wang Yi in Munich -There are reports that the two may meet at the Munich Security Conference, though n…