Showing papers in "China Report in 2018"
TL;DR: The authors discusses the evolution of Beijing's Indian Ocean strategy and examines the nature of these Chinese port projects and argues that rather than simply copying the American model of developing military bases overseas, China has been deliberating a more sophisticated plan for its physical presence there, creating a new set of "overseas strategic pivots".
Abstract: China’s port facility construction projects in the Indian Ocean (IO) region, particularly those in Gwadar and Djibouti, have led to a heated debate among strategists over whether the country has been carrying out a ‘string of pearls’ strategy, an alleged Chinese scheme to challenge America’s military predominance in South Asia. Although Beijing has denied the existence of such a strategy, it has enhanced its strategic ties with littoral countries in the IO region over the past few years. This article discusses the evolution of Beijing’s IO strategy and examines the nature of these Chinese port projects. It argues that rather than simply copying the American model of developing military bases overseas, China has been deliberating a more sophisticated plan for its physical presence there—creating a new set of ‘overseas strategic pivots’. These ‘pivots’ are designed to help Beijing sustain its anti-piracy campaign and serve as forward stations for the transportation of China’s imported energy and merchandise...
9 citations
TL;DR: Wang et al. as discussed by the authors suggested that Chinese scholars in Guangdong, through historical work endorsed or sponsored by their government, justify the inclusion of Southeast Asian nations in the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) initiative.
Abstract: This article suggests that Chinese scholars in Guangdong, through historical work endorsed or sponsored by their government, justify the inclusion of Southeast Asian nations in the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road (MSR) initiative. In doing so, they seek to add the MSR to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization’s (UNESCO) World Heritage List. By exploring how historians and officials adhere to the expectations of the Chinese state and UNESCO in highlighting Guangdong’s role in the 21st-century MSR initiative, the article examines the production of cultural heritage at the local level in contemporary China.
8 citations
TL;DR: The Communist Party of China (CPC) is not withering away as predicted by some Western scholars as discussed by the authors, in recent years, the party has centralised and strengthened its rule over China.
Abstract: The Communist Party of China (CPC) is not withering away as predicted by some Western scholars. On the contrary, in recent years, the party has centralised and strengthened its rule over China. At ...
7 citations
TL;DR: Shih et al. as discussed by the authors focus on the complexities of Hong Kong identity and propose a "geo-cultural" perspective that links the China mainland with its ethnic diasporas in a broad culture region cemented by the ethic of Confucianism.
Abstract: It is now just over two decades since the former British Crown colony of Hong Kong was returned to China, thus bringing to an end the ‘century of humiliation’ that has scarred the Chinese psyche and energised China’s quest for regaining its legitimate role in the scripting of world history. Over the years, China Report has carried numerous articles on Hong Kong, both its internal politics and the politics of its return to mainland control, as well as its critical role in enabling China’s ‘going out’ strategy of economic reform. More recently, world attention has focused on the demand for the genuine devolution of power, on the youthful popular uprising signified in the spectacle of the 2014 ‘umbrella movement’, and on the future of Hong Kong in the context of the ‘One Country Two Systems’ framework for China’s reunification. This special issue’s focus on the complexities of ‘Hongkongese’ identity, compiled and edited by political psychologist Shih Chih-yu, steps back somewhat from the immediacy of contemporary events to speculate, on a broader canvas and in a longer historical frame, on the identity challenges of being simultaneously ‘Hongkongese’ and ‘Chinese’. For the moment, the default geo-political/geo-strategic framework is kept somewhat (though not completely) aside. So is the rather wishful ‘geo-civilisational’ perspective that assumes a shared Asian ethic shaped by Buddhism and by millennia of trade and pre-modern cultural interactions. Instead, Shih proposes what he calls a ‘geo-cultural’ perspective that links the China mainland with its ethnic diasporas in a broad culture region cemented by the ethic of Confucianism. In so doing, the British colony of Hong Kong—now the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
6 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors used stochastic frontier estimation for the structural gravity model to analyse Vietnam's bilateral trade and evaluate its exploitation of trade efficiency for trade efficiency befor.
Abstract: In this article, we use the technique of stochastic frontier estimation for the structural gravity model to analyse Vietnam’s bilateral trade and evaluate its exploitation of trade efficiency befor
6 citations
TL;DR: In the late 1920s, cultural nationalism in Hong Kong was imbedded in Confucianism, having been disappointed with the New Culture Movement and Chinese revolutionary nationalism as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In the late 1920s, cultural nationalism in Hong Kong was imbedded in Confucianism, having been disappointed with the New Culture Movement and Chinese revolutionary nationalism.1 It also inspired Br...
5 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the impact of foreign-invested enterprises in the development of China's automotive industry was examined, focusing on the case of foreign direct investment (FDI) by a Korea-based company.
Abstract: This article examines the impact of foreign-invested enterprises in the development of China’s automotive industry. It particularly focuses on the case of foreign direct investment (FDI) by a Korea...
4 citations
TL;DR: The authors divide China watching by the two dimensions of position and purpose, and ask if a narrator looks at China from an external or an internal perspective, or if he/she is watching from both sides.
Abstract: This article divides China watching by the two dimensions of position and purpose. By position, the article asks if a narrator looks at China from an external or an internal perspective. By purpose...
3 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the theoretical underpinnings of trade facilitation would suggest a balanced growth approach to expedite trade, but taking the example of China and India, in this article, they explore ho...
Abstract: The theoretical underpinnings of trade facilitation (TF) would suggest a ‘balanced growth’ approach to expedite trade. However, taking the example of China and India, in this article, we explore ho...
3 citations
TL;DR: The success story and the success trap of China's transformation is discussed in this paper, where Mohanty explores this subject from the vantage point of his more than three decades of research and observation of the growth story of the Hela TVEs in Wuxi, known as the land of rice and fish in China.
Abstract: The rapid transformation of China into a leading player in the global capitalist structure under the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party–state after the ascendancy of Deng Xiaoping is a unique achievement. It is no exaggeration to say that this has, to a large extent, been made possible by the dynamism of the township and village enterprises (TVEs) that arose in the collective or private sphere after the abolition of the commune system. These ‘socialist survivals’ created a vibrant transitional economy. In spite of their seemingly ‘paradoxical’ and ‘irrational’ nature, they were successful in enlivening both the local and national economies and developing an alternative path entwined with the Party–state led ‘bureaucratic capitalism’ and the ‘market economy’. They soon paved the way, through a process of complex economic reform and management, for a behemoth structure of ‘capitalism with Chinese characteristics’ to develop, that successfully catapulted China into a global force. This process of transformation and its consequences are the subjects of Manoranjan Mohanty’s long-awaited book China’s Transformation: The Success Story and the Success Trap. An astute scholar and commentator on China, Mohanty explores this subject from the vantage point of his more than three decades of research and observation of the growth story of the Hela TVEs in Wuxi (Jiangsu), known as the land of rice and fish in China. It is based on several field trips, interviews as well as a plethora of local statistical data collected from Hela and nearby regions in Wuxi. Through his eyewitness account and analysis of rapid developments at Hela, he unravels the success story of China’s transformation. The book is divided into three parts. The first part consisting of two chapters introduces the stages of evolution of a rural reform strategy at the national level starting from 1978 until the present time, and the process of transformation of the Hela Township. The second part discusses the role of the local state and party in promoting and configuring a new development path. The last and longest part deals with various
2 citations
TL;DR: The authors found that Hong Kong plays an important academic role and acts as a cultural bridge between China and Western countries, especially in the field of finance and information technology, where Hong Kong is considered a cultural desert.
Abstract: For many people, ‘Hong Kong is a cultural desert’. However, we find that Hong Kong plays an important academic role and acts as a cultural bridge between China and Western countries, especially whe...
TL;DR: Hong Kong exemplifies a geo-cultural path that the literature on hybridity has not seriously considered as discussed by the authors, which encompasses non-synthetic, lingering Confucian, Christian, liberal, patriotic and other identities that exist parallel to each other, rather than merging into a certain hybrid identity.
Abstract: Hong Kong exemplifies a geo-cultural path that the literature on hybridity has not seriously considered. Hong Kong’s particular geo-cultural path is different from what the literature refers to as hybridity because Hong Kong’s identity encompasses non-synthetic, lingering Confucian, Christian, liberal, patriotic and other identities that exist parallel to each other, rather than merging into a certain hybrid identity. Because of this unique identity, the already hybrid identity of Hong Kong could disintegrate at any time because of re-imagined or re-enacted traditions. In other words, the coexisting parallel identities support a cyclical historiography rather than the celebrated postcoloniality that moves Hong Kong irrevocably away from any alleged past. Hong Kong demonstrates this constant re-appealing that takes place on the basis of solid traditions in Confucianism, Christianity and patriotism, in addition to the familiar liberalism and anti-Communism. Chineseness has become extremely difficult to defi...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors reflect on China's diaspora engagement and India's interest in it in the context of its own institutionalisation of diasociation engagement since the early 2000s, and argue that notwithstanding historical and political differences, some lessons could be learned from China.
Abstract: Against the background of the rise of ‘diaspora institutions’ since the early 2000s, this commentary reflects on China’s diaspora engagement and India’s interest in it in the context of its own institutionalisation of diaspora engagement since the early 2000s. It argues that notwithstanding historical and political differences, some lessons could be learned from China. These pertain to the importance of recognising the various segments of the diaspora; the role of community organisations; the centrality of diaspora research; and the connection between diaspora policies and shifting national priorities. However, both in China and in India, some principal limits remain in terms of diaspora engagement due to the prioritising of the socio-economically advantaged; the tension among cultural, ethnic and territorial understandings of the nation; and because political inclusion lags behind the focus on economic and knowledge contributions. These limits lead us to reconsider some of the shared ideas, assumptions a...
TL;DR: For instance, the authors found that many scholarly works suffer from an impenetrable style which puts off the average reader, mainly due to the author's unfamiliarity with the country (one notable instance is Hutton 2007).
Abstract: Such a huge number of books on contemporary China are published annually that it can often be difficult to discern which ones are worth reading. With authors of all stripes pushing out volumes, there is an acute need to work out which writers are both well-informed and have something genuinely new and interesting to say. Since top diplomats such as Henry Kissinger do not publish their insider accounts of encounters with Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping every day (see Kissinger 2011), picking out the best works is no easy task. There is also the problem of overfamiliarity with standard tropes such as the history of China’s economic rise and the potential for military confrontation with the USA. The latter, in particular, has led to a raft of books by American authors recapitulating at tedious length the well-worn ‘China threat’ thesis (e.g., Allison 2017; Pillsbury 2014). Thus, the key is to discover texts which find new angles on the material and present these in a readable form. In addition, many scholarly works suffer from an impenetrable style which puts off the average reader. Other books attempting to bring China to a mainstream audience may lack rigour, accuracy and clarity, mainly due to the author’s unfamiliarity with the country (one notable instance is Hutton 2007). Avoiding excessively academic language while providing detailed analysis of the complex issues stemming from the rising China’s impact on the world is a tricky balancing act indeed.
TL;DR: Following the initiation of the policy of ‘Reform and open door’, the possibilities for public officials to trade power for private gain in China increased as discussed by the authors, and to tackle the problem of corruption, dif...
Abstract: Following the initiation of the policy of ‘Reform and Open Door’, the possibilities for public officials to trade power for private gain in China increased. To tackle the problem of corruption, dif...
TL;DR: The authors argued that China's return to hard-power strategies in Asia represents more than a geopolitical sea change; it is not just Xi Jinping rejecting Deng Xiaoping's soft-power foreign policy, but the whole ethos of...
Abstract: China’s return to hard-power strategies in Asia represents more than a geopolitical sea change. It is not just Xi Jinping rejecting Deng Xiaoping’s soft-power foreign policy, but the whole ethos of...
TL;DR: In 2008, China and New Zealand were able to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2008, in spite of the large differences in standards under which they were respectively negotiating trade agreements in the i...
Abstract: China and New Zealand were able to sign a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) in 2008, in spite of the large differences in standards under which they were respectively negotiating trade agreements in the i...
TL;DR: Since Vietnam and China normalised their ties in 1991, high-ranking leaders of the two countries have arrived at a common awareness on various issues with a view to promoting a relationship based on understanding as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Since Vietnam and China normalised their ties in 1991, high-ranking leaders of the two countries have arrived at a common awareness on various issues with a view to promoting a relationship based o...
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors interpret the narratives presented in the autobiography of Situ Hua (Szeto Wah, 1931-2011), well-known activist and leader of pressure-group movements in modern Hong Kong, in order to understand his ethnic and national identities.
Abstract: This article attempts to interpret the narratives presented in the autobiography of Situ Hua (Szeto Wah, 1931–2011), well-known activist and leader of pressure-group movements in modern Hong Kong, in order to understand his ethnic and national identities. This exploration can illustrate the interaction between collaborative nationalism, critical nationalism and colonialism that is ongoing and constantly changing in modern Hong Kong. The article suggests that during his childhood and youth, Situ ethnically identified himself as being Chinese and, in terms of his national identity, he longed for a strong communist Chinese state. Second, it argues that Situ’s national identity was hollowed out by the Chinese Communist Party while his ethnic identity remained unchanged from his youth. Finally, Situ’s success in promoting pressure-group movements in Hong Kong led him to believe in democracy. His belief in democracy resulted in the convergence of his ethnic and national identities. He still wanted to build a st...
TL;DR: The authors examines the experiences of two generations of intellectuals that migrated to Hong Kong in 1919 and 1949, including the former Qing remnants Lai Jixi (賴際熙) and Che...
Abstract: This study examines the experiences of two generations of intellectuals that migrated to Hong Kong in 1919 and 1949.* The earlier generation included the former Qing remnants Lai Jixi (賴際熙) and Che...
TL;DR: In this paper, Tansen Sen's synthesis and synthesis of pre-modern literature is described. But the focus of the work is on the connected nature of South, Southeast and East Asia's past that emerges from his pen.
Abstract: This book is an outstanding achievement of both synthesis and research. It reflects Tansen Sen’s over 20-year engagement with a wide-ranging set of scholarship in multiple languages that include English, Hindi, Bengali, Japanese and, of course, most importantly, Modern and Classical Chinese. Sen has not only mastered the literature but synthesised it for us to offer a compelling vision of a connected past. While this is itself an impressive feat, Sen has also mined a host of primary and archival sources located in China, India, Taiwan, the USA, England and the Netherlands. They span compilations of pre-modern texts, heretofore unexplored manuscripts and personal papers, as well as a range of non-textual materials, such as religious objects, technologies, maps, paintings and photographs. Sen’s use of them is skilful, and the connected nature of South, Southeast and East Asia’s past that emerges from his pen is fascinating in its depth and diversity. The result is a work that is at once an authoritative summary and bellwether pointing to future research. It is probably a fair assessment to say that this book could not have been written by anyone else. Sen’s book, and specifically his discussion of pre-modern history, encourages us to reflect on how we proceed with comparative and connective history. Do we need new models or frameworks to understand comparison, contact and exchange across time? After all, it is all too easy for us to fall into the trap of attempting to understand regions through the administrative categories of a centralised state, both today and in the past. As so many instances in this book demonstrate, the pre-modern reality was far more complex. For instance, we discover that in the early fifteenth century, the king of Bengal beseeched the Ming Yongle emperor (r. 1402–24) for help to defeat his neighbour, the ruler of Jaunpur (p. 80). In the South, in present day Kerala, Sen describes a struggle between the neighbouring city states of Cochin and Calicut and the less-than-impartial involvement of the Ming eunuch admiral, Zheng He, in these machinations (pp. 216–17). And then there is the case of the Chola Empire mounting a
TL;DR: This article argued that Aung San Suu Kyi, after coming to power in March 2016, adopted a foreign policy approach, which is proving to be somewhat similar to that of the military junta under which China became Myanmar's most trusted friend in the region.
Abstract: Myanmar’s relations with China experienced a few hiccups during former President Thein Sein’s regime. However, contrary to expectations, the current government led by Aung San Suu Kyi appears to have reversed this trend. This article argues that Aung San Suu Kyi, after coming to power in March 2016, adopted a foreign policy approach, which is proving to be somewhat similar to that of the military junta under which China became Myanmar’s most trusted friend in the region. It attempts to unfold various factors that have been shaping Myanmar’s approach towards China in recent years.
TL;DR: The critical role played by agriculture in the modernisation of Japan, well-highlighted in the literature, is held to be a model worthy of emulation by latecomers as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The critical role played by agriculture in the modernisation of Japan, well-highlighted in the literature, is held to be a model worthy of emulation by latecomers. What this meant for the poor or t...
TL;DR: In this article, the plight of the Indian community in China after the World War II was discussed, during which a sizeable number of Indian immigrants in China had been mobilised under the bann...
Abstract: This article discusses the plight of the Indian community in China after the World War II. During the World War II, a sizeable number of Indian immigrants in China had been mobilised under the bann...
TL;DR: This paper argued that the contestation between China and the West resulted from the gaps in their understanding and interpretation of local political and social customs, which is particularly relevant today when the world seeks to engage more with China.
Abstract: China Report 54, 2 (2018): 246–265 with China had a much longer history. Keevak’s arguments are based on a close study of archival sources on these embassies in Chinese and various European languages. Finally, by advancing historical analogies, Michael Keevak provides us with an important lesson from history. The book’s primary argument, that the contestation between China and the West resulted from the gaps in their understanding and interpretation of local political and social customs, is particularly relevant today when the world seeks to engage more with China. It underscores the importance of deep and comprehensive understanding of Chinese conceptions of the world order, and the intricacies in China’s political and social traditions.