China and northeast Asia

Capability of the People's Republic of China to Conduct Cyber Warfare and Computer Network Exploitation

Abstract: : This paper presents a comprehensive open source assessment of China's capability to conduct computer network operations (CNO) both during peacetime and periods of conflict. The result will hopefully serve as useful reference to policymakers, China specialists, and information operations professionals. The research for this project encompassed five broad categories to show how the People's Republic of China (PRC) is pursuing computer network operations (CNO) and the extent to which it is being implemented by examining: a) The PLA's strategy for computer network operations at the campaign and strategic level to understand how China is integrating this capability into overall planning efforts and operationalizing it among its field units; b) Who are the principal institutional and individual "actors" in Chinese CNO and what linkages may exist between the civilian and military operators; c) Possible targets of Chinese CNO against the US during a conflict to understand how the PLA might attempt to seize information control over the US or similar technologically advanced military during a conflict; d) The characteristics of ongoing network exploitation activities targeting the US Government and private sector that are frequently attributed to China; e) A timeline of alleged Chinese intrusions into US government and industry networks to provide broader context for these activities. The basis for this work was a close review of authoritative open source PLA writings, interviews with Western PLA and information warfare analysts, reviews of Western scholarship on these subjects, and forensic analysis of intrusions into US networks assessed to have Chinese origins. The research draws heavily from journals and articles published by the Chinese National Defense University and the Academy of Military Sciences, the military's highest authority for issues of doctrine, strategy, and force modernization.

China’s energy security: The perspective of energy users

Abstract: The article explores the energy security concerns faced by China from the point of view of energy users working in government, university, civil society and business sectors. The authors first derive a set of seven hypotheses related to Chinese energy security drawn from a review of the recent academic literature. We then explain each of these seven hypotheses, relating to (1) security of energy supply, (2) geopolitics, (3) climate change, (4) decentralization, (5) energy efficiency, (6) research and innovation of new energy technologies, and (7) self sufficiency and trade. Lastly, the article tests these hypotheses through a survey distributed in English and Mandarin completed by 312 Chinese participants. The conclusion presents insights for policymakers and energy scholars.

Russia’s energy relations with China: passing the strategic threshold?

Abstract: This article examines Russian energy policies toward China over the past decade as reluctant engagement changed into a priority energy partnership. From 2008 to 2016 Russian and Chinese companies signed several major oil and gas agreements, a period in which Moscow reassessed China as a future energy consumer and lifted bilateral cooperation to a new level. The article utilizes the strategic partnership concept as an analytical framework and finds traditional realist concepts and hedging inadequate for this particular case. The study illuminates Russian geopolitical considerations and acceptance of vulnerability, which combined make long-term Russian energy policies more China dependent. Officially, Russia seeks diversification among Asian energy buyers, but its focus has increasingly been on China. Western sanctions imposed in 2014 for Russia’s role in Ukraine accelerated this trend. Moscow’s energy policies toward Beijing with its pipelines and long-term agreements are permanent arrangements tha...

Comparison of eating quality and physicochemical properties between Japanese and Chinese rice cultivars

Abstract: In this study, we evaluated 16 Japanese and Chinese rice cultivars in terms of their main chemical components, iodine absorption curve, apparent amylose content (AAC), pasting property, resistant starch content, physical properties, sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis analysis, and enzyme activity. Based on these quality evaluations, we concluded that Chinese rice varieties are characterized by a high protein and the grain texture after cooking has high hardness and low stickiness. In a previous study, we developed a novel formula for estimating AAC based on the iodine absorption curve. The validation test showed a determination coefficient of 0.996 for estimating AAC of Chinese rice cultivars as unknown samples. In the present study, we developed a novel formulae for estimating the balance degree of the surface layer of cooked rice (A3/A1: a ratio of workload of stickiness and hardness) based on the iodine absorption curve obtained using milled rice.