Note: The newsletter will be off August 26 through September 5, as I try to take the vacation that did not happen at the start of the month. Restaurant recommendations for Rome are welcome.

Xi has again been out of sight for a week and counting. There have been official announcements of him issuing messages but no videos or photos of Xi. The month end politburo meeting should happen in the next few days, and if recent precedent holds we will likely get the date for the 20th Party congress, and perhaps another tiger.

1. Drought - The heat should abate soon, the drought has no end date.

2. Pandemic - Mass testing in Chongqing, another community case in Shanghai, and a change to the customs health entry form that may signal a slight easing on entry restrictions.

3. Taiwan - Senator Marsha Blackburn [Corrected] visits Taiwan, by herself, Taiwan’s government proposes a significant increase in the defense budget, and the PRC foreign ministry releases a multi-thousand word fact sheet on Pelosi’s visit.