Showing papers in "China Report in 2009"

An Analysis of China–Ethiopia Relations during the Cold War

Abstract: This article analyses the bilateral relations between China and Ethiopia during the Cold War period and brings out the interplay of domestic, regional and extra-regional factors that went into the shaping of bilateral relations. China’s growing involvement and various attempts at consolidation of political and economic relationship with African countries—a relatively recent phenomenon—is perceived as a result of the dynamic interplay of economic and political factors. As with other African countries, China’s interaction with Ethiopia in the post-Cold War period is markedly different from pre-1990 years. This article investigates the political/economic factors underlying this shift. It describes and analyses the factors that led to China’s political and economic ties with Ethiopia (and Africa) during the years of Mao and Deng Xiaoping. It concludes that motivated by the desire to realise its priorities and goals, China’s venture into Africa and Ethiopia was shaped by the shift in relations between the Unit...

The Portrayal of Chinese top Party-State Leaders in the American Mainstream News Media, 1978–2008: Thirty Years of Reform Have Not Changed China Yet?

Abstract: The three decades of “world–shaking” reform and the opening up are believed to have brought enormous changes to China. Today, few can deny China’s crucial position in the global economy. However, aside from the obvious economic changes, it is uncertain whether the previously mysterious, untouchable and reclusive China thoroughly reformed itself from the demonized character during the globalization trend and years after the Cold War. Today, when ‘national image becomes an important part in soft power competition among countries…and a very significant strategic issue China faces in the development process’, this article aims at examining the scope and specific ‘frames’ that American mainstream news media use to report on China’s party-state leaders over the past 3 decades. Through the contents analysis of Time and Newsweek, the study finds that the image of China’s party-state leaders has not been drastically different under the framing. Since the judging criteria for the American mainstream news media towa...

Impact of Global Economic Crisis on the Indian Economy

Abstract: The sub-prime crisis that started in 2007 and limited to the US economy has created systemic problem throughout the global financial system following the collapse of a big investment bank. The real economic impact of this financial turmoil is expected to be very large. It has been officially stated that developed economies such as the US and the European Union are entering a recessionary phase. Even the world economic growth has been predicted to decline. The impact of this financial crisis on India is also going to be significant, as India is not decoupled with the global macroeconomic behaviour. The service sector, of which two sectors namely ‘trade, hotels group’ and the ‘financing, insurance group’, growth is strongly linked with the global economy. Hence, any decline in the global economic activity is expected to have adverse impact on the domestic services growth. On inflation front, this crisis indeed brought down the inflationary expectations as it led to decline in the world oil prices to around ...

The Evolution of the Image of China in the United States during the Cold War

Abstract: This article describes the evolution of the image of China in the United States (US) during the Cold War. Aware that China–US bilateral relations have been influenced by periods of conflict and animosity, harmony and detente, the article argues that the image of China has always been embedded in a network of events—birth of the PRC (People’s Republic of China [PRC], Korean War, Sino-Soviet alliance) that prevented American public opinion from developing an objective and unbiased picture of the PRC. Since 1950s, China has always been linked to the idea of the ‘Yellow Peril’. Moreover, the lack of a direct contact between China and America further thwarted the opportunity of shaping a fair picture of the PRC. Although recognising that during the Cold War American political parties played a significant role in conveying a negative image of China, this article shows how media helped in strengthening Chinese stereotypes among the American public. Analysing all articles published by Time, National Geographic an...

Chinese jurisprudence and hong kong law

Abstract: On 1 July 1997, Hong Kong, a colony (euphemistically called dependent territory) of Britain, was returned to the fold of the motherland, China, as a Special Administration Region, with a high degree of autonomy. Ten years on, we find that the common law system established by the British in Hong Kong, as guaranteed by the Basic Law, survived and thrived. A cursory review of legal and social science literature shows that there is little scholarly discourse or public debate on the proper jurisprudence standards to be applied in the making and evaluation of Hong Kong legislation. This research raises a most fundamental policy qua jurisprudence issue: Should Hong Kong law be formulated, applied or evaluated with indigenous legal standards and local jurisprudence principles, based on Asian values, Chinese culture and/or Hong Kong ethos? In so doing, this article questions the appropriateness and challenges the legitimacy of adopting Western jurisprudence principles in shaping and evaluating the Hong Kong legal ...

China–Russia–India Trilateral Relations Realities and Prospects

Abstract: This article seeks to raise some fundamental conceptual issues underlying the trilateral project. Theoretically, big country relationships—especially neighbouring ones—have to be built on common interests, mutual trust and greater interdependence in mutual interests so that it cannot be set aside unilaterally by any one of the parties. This article questions whether trilateral cooperation was sustainable since China, India and Russia were neither strategic allies nor enemies; none of them shared common friends or enemies and it were only potential common interests that underpinned their interaction. The author envisages the basis of their cooperation in terms of a reaction to the post-Cold War, US-dominated world but argues that such a structure was not a pre-determined imperialist scheme which had to be changed through opposition and conflict. This reflected the traditional view of international politics and needed to be modified in a scenario where the US was also promoting a market economy-based system...

Creating a New Cultural Identity: India-related Religious Practices among the Chinese Community in Kolkata

Abstract: Already in the nineteenth century, the Chinese immigrants had built several Chinese temples in Kolkata. These temples, including those dedicated to Tianhou and Guanyin, served not only as religious shrines but also meeting places for the community. This article outlines some of the unique, and hitherto unexamined, religious practices among the Kolkata Chinese. Specifically, it focuses on the venerations of the Atchew, perceived to be the first Chinese immigrant in India, the medium known as Lady Shou and the Indian Goddess Kali. While other religious beliefs among the Kolkata Chinese indicate the preservation of Chinese heritage and identity, these unique practices show the process of acculturation and the creation of a new mixed,Chinese–Indian identity.

Stabilising Afghanistan The Role of China–India–Russia (CIR) Trilateral Cooperation

Abstract: This article comprises two parts: the first in which the author examines the ramifications of the process of stabilising Afghanistan and the second in which he discusses a possible role for the Russia, India and China (RIC) trilateral. The author cites the results of a survey conducted in all thirty-four provinces of Afghanistan, which mainly concerns the attitude of the people and the national mood in 2004 and 2008. The results revealed very low levels of confidence. The crux of the problem was that the war cannot be won, nor the Afghan situation addressed by the military approach. The situation is extremely complex and tense mainly because of the lack of strategic coherence within the West and their attempt to promote a Western set-up in Afghanistan without heed to, or respect for, the Afghan condition. The focus has been only on capturing the Al-Qaeda through Operation Enduring Freedom. The role of Pakistan was also quite complex and the question was whether it should be seen as part of the problem or ...

China and Japan’s Energy Security Approaches in the Central Asia A Comparative Study

Abstract: Japan and China’s expanding global outreach is not entirely the result of their growing reliance on imported oil and their efforts to secure supplies globally. Rather, it is consistent with both countries’ overall economic growth and enhanced political standing. The build-up of closer ties with the developing world, and China and Japan’s growing presence should be seen in the context of Beijing and Tokyo’s expanding economic interests world-wide and growing international political influence, not simply as a symptom of their pursuit for energy. In short, energy has influenced Chinese and Japanese international behaviour but not transformed their foreign policy. This article presents the argument that while energy is an important factor in Japanese and Chinese foreign policy, the impact of their energy needs on their international behaviour is only one dimension, and must be analysed in the context of their multiple and competing policy priorities. A better understanding of the impact of energy on Chinese a...

The Sino-Japan Disputes and the Principle of Subsidiarity

Abstract: Regional economic unification must overcome some economic obstacles, such as how to remove the trade and non-trade barriers, how to realise monetary stability in the region and how to develop a regional market, dominated by internal demand. However, in the long run, social obstacles will be more troublesome than the economic obstacles and could also be counterproductive. The integration process in Asia has been lagging behind the other continents of Europe and North America for many reasons. One of them is that the Asian unification process has mainly been a top-down approach by politicians and leaderships in this region, without wider and broader participation from the societies and civil groups. Nonetheless, there are strong trends favouring the ongoing regional cooperation in Asia. While envisioning bright prospects, the Asian economic integration process, however, is destined to encounter social obstacles. One of them is clearly the Sino-Japan dispute. The article argues, that the principle of subsidi...

Historical Chindian Paradigm: Inter-cultural Transfusion and Solidification

Abstract: The article is an exploration of an alternative geo-civilisational paradigm in an effort to escape the dissatisfaction with the prevalent geopolitical model. In the new ‘geo-civilisational paradigm’, the world should cherish the ideal of universal harmony as represented by ‘shijie datong’ (grand harmony in the world) aspired to by Chinese civilisation and ‘vasudhaiva kutumbakan’ (world as one family) aspired to by Indian civilisation. Such a paradigm can be established because we already have the example of it in the cultural interaction between Chinese and Indian civilisations in the past. Civilisational overlapping can create ‘metonymic thesis’ that serves to strengthen the vitality of civilisation and this only happens during the overlapping of mutually respectful and friendly civilisations. The uniqueness of the ‘historical Chindian paradigm’ is twofold, as the advent of Indian civilisation into China was by invitation and it also meant to accomplish serious business of an unprecedented inter-cultural...

The 2009 North Korean Nuclear Tests: Deconstructing a Deadlock

Abstract: The North Korean nuclear imbroglio appears to be highly intractable and continues to be one of the most destabilising issues in the Northeast Asian region. The second North Korean nuclear tests on 25 May 2009 marked the onset of a fresh episode of crisis on the Korean peninsula. Before the nuclear tests, North Korea tested a rocket, which was allegedly a long-range missile on 5 April. North Korea claimed that it was a satellite launch and informed the international community one month before the launch, but there were hardly any takers for that claim. The security situation in the region has consequently worsened with these incidents. It is fairly apparent that the US North Korea policy, supported by tough posturing on the part of South Korea and Japan, has to a large extent contributed to the worsening of the crisis. This is not to suggest that the responses from North Korea have not been somewhat untoward and the North Korean nuclear and missile tests have further isolated the regime. It has become diffi cult even for the People’s Republic of China (PRC), an old ally of North Korea, to defend North Korean behaviour. The developments following the North Korean nuclear tests clearly demonstrated that it is hard to resolve the issue without bringing suffi cient mutual trust in the process of negotiations. Ever since the revelations of a clandestine North Korean nuclear programme were fi rst made in the late 1980s, parallel processes of North Korean nuclear weaponisation on the one hand and external efforts to dismantle it on the

The Global Financial Crisis Some Implications

Abstract: Basing itself on a recent International Monetary Fund survey, this comment concludes that the Brazil, Russia, India and China countries are likely to become the locomotive for economic growth in the world. Were the global financial crisis to last out for the next 1.5 year, though reduced, annual growth rates in China, India and Russia would continue to be 8.5, 6.3 and 3.5 per cent, respectively. Together, the three countries would still manage to contribute 2.2 per cent to the world growth. The author does not appear to be very optimistic about the Russia, India and China to formulate countermeasures but China had in addition to forex reserves, considerable foreign direct investment and its measures to boost domestic demand focused on infrastructure building. Russia as well needed to boost domestic demand to curb inflationary pressures. The worrying aspect was the prospect of social instability and all three countries had already faced this in the 1980s. Experts were divided as to whether unemployment was...

Limitations of India–China Economic Engagement

Abstract: The current global economic meltdown offers historic opportunities for China and India to catapult their respective positions in the international system. Increasing recognition of their roles in the global academic debates, and more recently by the G20 summits, remain both the cause as also the consequence of their ever expanding mutual economic engagement. However, their expanding trade deficit, continued abysmally-low mutual investments, lackluster border trade and stagnant border negotiations allude to their lack of appreciation of their upfront systemic bottleneck threatening to undermine this most reliable pillar of their rapprochement. This calls for deeper and urgent examination of their structural bottlenecks so as to ensure their continued robust economic engagement which remains the most essential prerequisite if China and India have to play a pivotal role in regional and global economic stabilization and upturn. Such an outcome remains intertwined with their own peaceful rise as major stakeholders of this rapidly transforming international system.

Status of China in Science and Technology as Reflected in its Publications Output, 1997–2007

Abstract: The study examines China’s performance in science and technology (S&T) during 1997–2007, based on several parameters including the country’s annual average growth rate, global publication share and rank, strong and weak subject areas (in terms of national priority, international collaborative share and global share), institutional profiles of select top institutions, the overall international collaboration profile and major collaborative partners, patterns of communication in national and international journals and characteristics of its top highly cited papers. The study also compares similarities of China’s research profile with nineteen other top productive countries.

Post-Dalai Lama Situation and the Middle Path Discussions with Chinese Scholars in Beijing

Abstract: I was invited to make a presentation on the ‘Post-Dalai Lama Situation and the Middle Path’ subject at the Ethnic Minority Groups Development Research Institute of Development Research Centre of the State Council, Beijing, People’s Republic of China (PRC). The presentation on 15 December 2008 was followed by extensive discussion with the Director, Deputy Directors and other offi ce bearers and researchers of the institute. I was informed that their institute is responsible for carrying out research on their government’s Tibet and Xingjiang policy. On 16 December, I gave a presentation on ‘Indian Perspectives: The Sino-Indian Border Issue’ at the Institute of International Studies, Tsinghua University, Beijing. The impression I carried after a full day’s free and frank discussions with experts on Tibet policy at the Ethnic Minority Research Institute was that they sincerely wish to resolve the Tibet issue. National security, nationalism, especially of the vast majority of the Han population and the Marxist concept of autonomy, are the main prisms through which they, like any other national institute, view the issue. Tibet has been in the news since early 2008. The Tibetans had assembled in large numbers on 10 March 2009, the fi ftieth anniversary of Tibetan Uprising Day. On 31 March 1959, the 14th Dalai Lama had arrived in India. A massive week-long ‘Thank You—India’ programme was organised in India. It was ‘to show how greatly

Education, Occupational Aspiration and Religious Orientation A Case Study of the Chinese Community of North Bengal

Abstract: There are only a few Chinese families settled in North Bengal, concentrated in the towns of Siliguri and Kalimpong. The Chinese have on an average been a literate community but few of them continued for post-secondary education. The reasons were that many of them were engaged in business at an early age which was much more lucrative and on the other hand some people were struggling to maintain their establishment. Economic challenges left little time and recourses to concentrate on education. However, since the community has prospered and with time, parents increasingly opt to send their children to school. These days, the occupational needs of the Chinese youth in North Bengal can be divided into two categories, either to migrate abroad or to be a successful businessman. It is perceptible that Chinese in India are conscious with regard to the education of their children. English-medium schools are the preferred institutions and for this the Chinese have adopted another strategy—that of conversion to Chri...