chi Understanding the dynamics of the Indo-Pacific: US–China strategic competition, regional actors, and beyond By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 08 Jan 2020 21:20:01 +0000 6 November 2019 , Volume 96, Number 1 The first issue of International Affairs in 2020 explores the geopolitics of the 'Indo-Pacific' region. Read online Kai He and Mingjiang Li As a geographical concept, ‘Indo-Pacific’ has existed for decades. As a political and strategic concept, it has since 2010 gradually become established in the foreign policy lexicon of some countries, especially Australia, India, Japan and the United States. However, China seems to be reluctant to identify itself as part of the Indo-Pacific; Chinese leaders believe that the US-led Indo-Pacific strategy aims to contain China's rise. While the battle between the two geographical concepts ‘Indo-Pacific’ and ‘Asia–Pacific’ may be fairly easily settled in the future, US–China strategic competition has just begun. Will the Indo-Pacific become a battlefield for US–China rivalry? How will China cope with the US ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ (FOIP) strategy? How will other regional actors respond to the US–China strategic competition in the Indo-Pacific? What are the strategic implications of the ‘Indo-Pacific’ concept for regional order transformation? How will the Indo-Pacific be institutionalized, economically, politically and strategically? This article introduces the January 2020 special issue of International Affairs, which aims to address those questions, using both country-specific and regional perspectives. Seven articles focus on the policy responses of major players (Australia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan and ASEAN) to the US FOIP strategy and related US–China rivalry in the region. A further three articles examine the profound implications of Indo-Pacific dynamics for regional institution-building and for geopolitical and geo-economic architecture. Full Article
chi China's 2020: Economic Transition, Sustainability and the Coronavirus By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Tue, 04 Feb 2020 21:15:01 +0000 Corporate Members Event 10 March 2020 - 12:15pm to 2:00pm Chatham House | 10 St James's Square | London | SW1Y 4LE Event participants Dr Yu Jie, Senior Research Fellow on China, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham HouseDavid Lubin, Associate Fellow, Global Economy and Finance Programme, Chatham House; Managing Director and Head of Emerging Markets Economics, CitiJinny Yan, Managing Director and Chief China Economist, ICBC StandardChair: Creon Butler, Director, Global Economy and Finance Programme, Chatham House Read all our analysis on the Coronavirus ResponseThe coronavirus outbreak comes at a difficult time for China’s ruling party. A tumultuous 2019 saw the country fighting an economic slowdown coupled with an increasingly hostile international environment. As authorities take assertive steps to contain the virus, the emergency has - at least temporarily - disrupted global trade and supply chains, depressed asset prices and forced multinational businesses to make consequential decisions with limited information. Against this backdrop, panellists reflect on the country’s nascent economic transition from 2020 onward. What has been China’s progress towards a sustainable innovation-led economy so far? To what extent is the ruling party addressing growing concerns over job losses, wealth inequality and a lack of social mobility? And how are foreign investors responding to these developments in China? Members Events Team Email Full Article
chi Centralization is Hobbling China’s Response to the Coronavirus By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 06 Feb 2020 11:10:49 +0000 6 February 2020 Dr Yu Jie Senior Research Fellow on China, Asia-Pacific Programme @yu_jiec LinkedIn The sluggish early reaction by officials should not have come as a surprise. 2020-02-06-CVT.jpg Chinese police officers wearing masks stand in front of the Tiananmen Gate on 26 January. Photo: Getty Images. The coronavirus outbreak in China poses a tremendous test for Beijing. Beyond the immediate public health crisis, the Chinese Communist Party faces a stuttering economy, growing public anger and distrust, and a potentially heavy blow to its global reputation.The hesitant early response to the outbreak sheds light on the way the Chinese bureaucracy approaches crises at a time when the party leadership is tightening control at almost all levels of society. At first, officials in Wuhan attempted to censor online discussions of the virus. This changed only after President Xi Jinping’s call for a much more robust approach was followed by a sudden increase in the state media coverage of the outbreak. There is no doubt that Xi’s intervention will greatly speed up the response to the crisis, which should be welcomed.Despite China’s experience with the SARS epidemic between 2002 and 2004, the sluggish reaction by officials in Wuhan should not have come as a surprise. The tendency among bureaucrats to play down crises is deeply entrenched. And, ironically, the party leadership’s recent push for greater bureaucratic accountability and its promise of stiffer punishment for those who take a 'do little' approach have also contributed to the habit of covering up disasters.Xi has launched an ambitious programme to reform the governance of the Communist Party and re-centralize political control. This has reinforced the tendency of officials to avoid making important decisions and instead to wait for instructions from the party leadership.For decades, local governments have made things happen in China. But with tighter regulation of lower-level bureaucrats, civil servants across the system now seem less ready, and able, to provide their input, making ineffective and even mistaken policy more likely. Explainer: Coronavirus - What You Need to Know World-renowned global health expert Professor David Heymann CBE explains the key facts and work being done on the coronavirus outbreak. Moreover, the coronavirus outbreak could not have happened at a worse time. Last year was tumultuous and saw China fighting an economic slowdown while also dealing with an increasingly hostile international environment. Now, as the authorities take steps to contain the disease, economic activity has come to a near standstill, with public transport curbed and restaurants and entertainment venues shuttered.This contrasts with SARS, when double-digit growth in gross domestic product enabled Beijing to raise government expenditure to tackle the outbreak. Today, the Chinese economy is running into some of the most difficult challenges it has faced since the global financial crisis.In response to the slowdown in growth, Beijing has adopted loose fiscal policy, with an emphasis on public investment. It also continues to push big banks to cut interest rates for individual borrowers and small businesses which were already suffering from the effects of the trade war with the US before the coronavirus struck.The outbreak should give new impetus to governments, not least those that have close economic ties with China. Being a great power with ambitions for global leadership, as well as domestic reform, is not easy. Even without multi-party elections, it involves increasing, and often uncomfortable, scrutiny. As President Xi himself has put it: the road is long and the task is weighty.This article was originally published in the Financial Times. Full Article
chi Chinese Investment and the BRI in Sri Lanka By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Mon, 23 Mar 2020 15:52:39 +0000 24 March 2020 China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is having profound impacts on recipient countries. This paper examines the benefits and costs of the BRI and its projects to Sri Lanka and the lessons that may improve future BRI projects in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. Read online Download PDF Ganeshan Wignaraja Executive Director, Lakshman Kadirgamar Institute of International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKI) Dinusha Panditaratne Non-Resident Fellow and former Executive Director, LKI Pabasara Kannangara Research Associate, LKI Divya Hundlani Independent Researcher GettyImages-106945018.jpg Workers unload cargo from the first vessel to enter the newly built Chinese-funded port in Hambantota, 18 November 2010. Photo: Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP/Getty Images SummaryChina’s expansive Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) has led to greater Chinese outbound investment in Asia, including in Sri Lanka. This investment has recently come under scrutiny, due to intensifying geopolitical rivalries in the Indian Ocean as well as Sri Lanka’s prime location and ports in the region.There are claims that by accepting Chinese outbound investment, Sri Lanka risks being stuck in a ‘debt trap’ and the displacement of its local workers by both legal and illegal Chinese labour. There are also concerns that Chinese investment has led to environmental damage and increased security risks for Sri Lanka and the neighbourhood. Furthermore, there is criticism that institutional weaknesses in Sri Lanka, including a lack of policy planning and transparency, are resulting in nonperforming infrastructure projects funded by Chinese investment.The pattern of Chinese investment in Sri Lanka reveals a nuanced picture of benefits and costs. Similarly, it shows that a matrix of Sri Lankan, Chinese and multilateral policies are required to maximize the benefits and minimize any risks of Chinese investment. Sri Lanka is not in a Chinese debt trap. Its debt to China amounts to about 6 per cent of its GDP. However, Sri Lanka’s generally high debt levels show the country needs to improve its debt management systems. This step would also reduce any risk of a Chinese debt trap in the future.Specific projects have contributed positively to Sri Lanka’s economy. Some have brought greater benefits than others, such as the Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), which has allowed the Colombo port to grow at a rapid pace. However, imports from China for projects in Sri Lanka have widened the trade deficit between the two countries. In addition, there have been only limited economic spillovers for Sri Lanka, including knowledge transfer in the local labour force.The number of Chinese workers in Sri Lanka is rising but remains a very small percentage of the total labour force. While illegal migration is a concern, there are significantly fewer illegal residents from China than from neighbouring countries. Sri Lanka has relatively strong rules on outward migration but can better regulate inward migration based on labour market demands and economic priorities.The environmental implications of Chinese investment projects in Sri Lanka are mixed. While earlier projects were more harmful, recent projects such as the CICT and Port City in Colombo have adapted to stricter environmental standards. To ensure consistently high environmental standards, Sri Lanka should strengthen its domestic regulations and seek more investments from green-friendly partners.Concerns that China will use ports and other projects for military purposes are, in part, driven by geopolitical anxieties. In response, Sri Lanka has strengthened its naval presence at the Hambantota port. Continual oversight by technical experts is required to guard against security-related concerns and ensure public trust in the projects. Such trust will also grow by improving transparency and by pursuing a long-term, national infrastructure development plan. Department/project Asia-Pacific Programme Full Article
chi Virtual Roundtable: US-China Geopolitics and the Global Pandemic By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 27 Mar 2020 12:50:01 +0000 Invitation Only Research Event 2 April 2020 - 2:00pm to 3:00pm Event participants Dr Kurt Campbell, Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder, The Asia Group; Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, 2009-13Chair: Dr Leslie Vinjamuri, Director, US and the Americas Programme, Chatham House This event is part of the Inaugural Virtual Roundtable Series on the US, Americas and the State of the World and will take place virtually only. Participants should not come to Chatham House for these events. Department/project US and the Americas Programme US and Americas Programme Email Full Article
chi Webinar: Director's Briefing – China's Economic Outlook By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 03 Apr 2020 16:00:02 +0000 Corporate Members Event Webinar Partners and Major Corporates 8 April 2020 - 1:00pm to 2:00pm Online Event participants Dr Yu Jie, Senior Research Fellow on China, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham HouseJames Kynge, Global China Editor, Financial Times; Editor, Tech Scroll AsiaChair: Dr Robin Niblett, Director and Chief Executive, Chatham House Only a few months into 2020, the coronavirus pandemic has presented a huge challenge for China’s ruling party against an already tumultuous 12 months of economic slowdown coupled with an increasingly hostile international environment. The crisis looks set to worsen a deteriorating relationship between the US and China as the two countries battle to avoid further economic ramifications. It has also undermined President Xi Jinping and the Chinese Communist Party’s domestic political legitimacy and economic growth.The panellists will examine the wider geopolitical fallout of the coronavirus pandemic and discuss China’s future economic planning. How will the COVID-19 outbreak further strain the US-China relationship? What effect will this have on global trade and vulnerable supply chains at a time when cooperation is needed more than ever? And to what extent is the ruling party addressing growing concerns over job losses, wealth inequality and a lack of social mobility?This event is only open to Major Corporate Member and Partner organizations and selected giving circles of Chatham House. If you'd like to attend, please RSVP to Linda Bedford. Full Article
chi Beware Russian and Chinese Positioning for After the Pandemic By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Thu, 09 Apr 2020 10:00:11 +0000 9 April 2020 Keir Giles Senior Consulting Fellow, Russia and Eurasia Programme @KeirGiles LinkedIn Google Scholar Authoritarian regimes can use the COVID-19 crisis to improve their international standing, taking advantage of others’ distraction. Their aims are different, but their methods have much in common. 2020-04-09-Russia-Aid-Serbia An airlifter of the Russian Aerospace Forces prepares to fly to Serbia carrying equipment and professionals during the COVID-19 crisis. Photo by Russian Defence MinistryTASS via Getty Images. Both Russia and China have mounted combined charm offensives and disinformation campaigns on the back of the pandemic. Shipments of ‘aid’ – reportedly of questionable utility and quality - have gone hand in hand with a concerted effort to deflect any blame from China for the early spread, and an ongoing drive by Russia to undermine states’ confidence and have sanctions lifted.These concurrent operations have very different objectives, as Russia seeks to subvert international order while China is continuing its bid to demonstrate global leadership - but in both cases, they are seeking long-term gains by exploiting the inattention and distraction of their targets.Both seek to present themselves as globally responsible stakeholders, but for divergent reasons – especially China which needs the rest of the world to recover and return to stability to ensure its own economic recovery. But despite this, the two campaigns appear superficially similar.Fertile ground for disinformationOne reason lies in the unique nature of the current crisis. Unlike political issues that are local or regional in nature, COVID-19 affects everybody worldwide. The perceived lack of reliable information about the virus provides fertile ground for information and disinformation campaigns, especially feeding on fear, uncertainty and doubt. But Russia in particular would not be succeeding in its objectives without mis-steps and inattention by Western governments.Confused reporting on Russia sending medical supplies to the United States showed Moscow taking advantage of a US administration in apparent disarray. Claims Russia was sending ’humanitarian aid’ were only belatedly countered by the US State Department pointing out it had been paid for. Meanwhile the earlier arrival of Russian military equipment in Italy also scored a propaganda victory for Russia, facilitated by curious passivity by the Italian government.In both cases Russia also achieved secondary objectives. With the United States, Russia scored bonus points by shipping equipment produced by a subsidiary of a company under US sanctions. In the case of Italy, Russian state media made good use of misleading or heavily edited video clips to give the impression of widespread Italian acclaim for Russian aid, combined with disdain for the efforts of the EU.Beijing’s external information campaigns have sought to deflect or defuse criticism of its early mishandling and misinformation on coronavirus and counter accusations of secrecy and falsifying data while also pursuing an opportunity to exercise soft power. For Moscow, current efforts boost a long-standing and intensive campaign to induce the lifting of sanctions, demonstrating if nothing else that sanctions are indeed an effective measure. Official and unofficial lobbying has intensified in numerous capital cities, and will inevitably find supporters.But both the aid and the information campaigns are seriously flawed. While appropriate and useful aid for countries that are struggling should of course be welcomed, both Russian and Chinese equipment delivered to Europe has repeatedly been found to be inappropriate or defective. Russian photographs of cardboard boxes stacked loose and unsecured in a transport aircraft bound for the United States sparked alarm and disbelief among military and aviation experts - and there has still been no US statement on what exactly was purchased, and whether it was found to be fit for purpose when it arrived.Reporting from Italy that the Russian equipment delivered there was ‘80% useless’ has not been contradicted by the Italian authorities. In fact, although the Italian sources criticizing Russia remain anonymous it is striking that - President Trump aside - no government has publicly endorsed materials and assistance received from Russia as actually being useful and helpful.Even in Serbia, with its traditionally close ties with Russia, the only information forthcoming on the activities of the Russian Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops and their equipment that arrived on April 3 was from Russian press releases.Both countries’ strategic communications efforts are similarly fallible. China’s notoriously heavy-handed approach to its critics is of only limited use in the face of such a severe and immediate threat. One suggestion that the virus originated in the US – an early response to US criticism – has already been walked back by the Chinese diplomat who made it.And Russia continues to be capable of spectacularly misjudging its targets. When investigative journalists looked more closely at the nature of the assistance to Italy, Russia’s official response was rage and personal threats, laying bare the real nature of the campaign and immediately alienating many of those whom Moscow had sought to win over.Errors and deficiencies such as these provide opportunities to mitigate the worst side-effects of the campaigns. And actions by individuals can also mitigate much of the impact. The most effective disinformation plays on deeply emotional issues and triggers visceral rather than rational reactions.Advocates of ’informational distancing’ as well as social distancing suggest a tactical pause to assess information calmly, instead of reacting or spreading it further unthinkingly. This approach would bolster not only calm dispassionate assessment of the real impact of Russian and Chinese actions, but also counter spreading of misinformation on the pandemic as a whole - especially when key sources of disinformation are national leaders seeking to politicize or profit from the crisis.Limitations of Russian and Chinese altruism must be stated clearly and frankly to fill gaps in public understanding. Where help is genuine, it should of course be welcomed: but if it is the case that assistance received from Moscow or Beijing is not appropriate, not useful, or not fit for purpose, this should be acknowledged publicly.Even without central direction or coordination with other Russian strategic communications efforts, the self-perpetuating Russian disinformation ecosystem continues to push narratives designed to undermine confidence in institutions and their ability to deal with the crisis. This too must continue to be monitored closely and countered where it matters.In all cases, miscalculations by Russia or China that expose the true intent of their campaigns – no matter how different their objectives might be - should be watched for closely and highlighted where they occur.Despite the enormity of the present emergency it is not a time for any government to relax its vigilance over longer-term threats. States must not lose sight of manoeuvres seeking to exploit weakness and distraction. If Russia and China emerge from the current crisis with enhanced authority and unjustifiably restored reputations, this will make it still harder to resist their respective challenges to the current rules-based international order in the future. Full Article
chi Blaming China Is a Dangerous Distraction By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Wed, 15 Apr 2020 10:50:59 +0000 15 April 2020 Jim O'Neill Chair, Chatham House Chinese officials' initial effort to cover up the coronavirus outbreak was appallingly misguided. But anyone still focusing on China's failings instead of working toward a solution is essentially making the same mistake. 2020-04-15-China-coronavirus-health Medical staff on their rounds at a quarantine zone in Wuhan, China. Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images. As the COVID-19 crisis roars on, so have debates about China’s role in it. Based on what is known, it is clear that some Chinese officials made a major error in late December and early January, when they tried to prevent disclosures of the coronavirus outbreak in Wuhan, even silencing healthcare workers who tried to sound the alarm.China’s leaders will have to live with these mistakes, even if they succeed in resolving the crisis and adopting adequate measures to prevent a future outbreak. What is less clear is why other countries think it is in their interest to keep referring to China’s initial errors, rather than working toward solutions.For many governments, naming and shaming China appears to be a ploy to divert attention from their own lack of preparedness. Equally concerning is the growing criticism of the World Health Organization (WHO), not least by Donald Trump who has attacked the organization - and threatens to withdraw US funding - for supposedly failing to hold the Chinese government to account. Unhelpful and dangerousAt a time when the top global priority should be to organize a comprehensive coordinated response to the dual health and economic crises unleashed by the coronavirus, this blame game is not just unhelpful but dangerous.Globally and at the country level, we all desperately need to do everything possible to accelerate the development of a safe and effective vaccine, while in the meantime stepping up collective efforts to deploy the diagnostic and therapeutic tools necessary to keep the health crisis under control.Given there is no other global health organization with the capacity to confront the pandemic, the WHO will remain at the center of the response, whether certain political leaders like it or not.Having dealt with the WHO to a modest degree during my time as chairman of the UK’s independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR), I can say that it is similar to most large, bureaucratic international organizations.Like the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, and the United Nations, it is not especially dynamic or inclined to think outside the box. But rather than sniping at these organizations from the sidelines, we should be working to improve them.In the current crisis, we all should be doing everything we can to help both the WHO and the IMF to play an effective, leading role in the global response. As I have argued before, the IMF should expand the scope of its annual Article IV assessments to include national public-health systems, given that these are critical determinants in a country’s ability to prevent or at least manage a crisis like the one we are now experiencing.I have even raised this idea with IMF officials themselves, only to be told that such reporting falls outside their remit because they lack the relevant expertise. That answer was not good enough then, and it definitely isn’t good enough now.If the IMF lacks the expertise to assess public health systems, it should acquire it. As the COVID-19 crisis makes abundantly clear, there is no useful distinction to be made between health and finance. The two policy domains are deeply interconnected, and should be treated as such.In thinking about an international response to today’s health and economic emergency, the obvious analogy is the 2008 global financial crisis which started with an unsustainable US housing bubble, fed by foreign savings owing to the lack of domestic savings in the United States.When the bubble finally burst, many other countries sustained more harm than the US did, just as the COVID-19 pandemic has hit some countries much harder than it hit China.And yet not many countries around the world sought to single out the US for presiding over a massively destructive housing bubble, even though the scars from that previous crisis are still visible. On the contrary, many welcomed the US economy’s return to sustained growth in recent years, because a strong US economy benefits the rest of the world.So, rather than applying a double standard and fixating on China’s undoubtedly large errors, we would do better to consider what China can teach us. Specifically, we should be focused on better understanding the technologies and diagnostic techniques that China used to keep its - apparent - death toll so low compared to other countries, and to restart parts of its economy within weeks of the height of the outbreak.And for our own sakes, we also should be considering what policies China could adopt to put itself back on a path toward 6% annual growth, because the Chinese economy inevitably will play a significant role in the global recovery.If China’s post-pandemic growth model makes good on its leaders’ efforts in recent years to boost domestic consumption and imports from the rest of the world, we will all be better off.This article was originally published in Project Syndicate Full Article
chi Avoiding a Virus-Induced Cold War with China By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 17 Apr 2020 16:05:40 +0000 17 April 2020 Robin Niblett Director and Chief Executive, Chatham House @RobinNiblett Managing relations with China once the COVID-19 crisis abates will be one of the biggest challenges facing political leaders in the United States and Europe – two of the areas worst-hit by the virus that originated in China. 2020-04-17-Trump-Xi Chinese president Xi Jinping and US president Donald Trump in Beijing, China. Photo by Thomas Peter-Pool/Getty Images. So far, there has been a noticeable worsening of relations that had already soured in recent years – the latest step being President Donald Trump’s suspension of US funding for the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to accusations of Chinese interference in its operations.Should the world now simply prepare for a period of intense and extended hostility? As director of a policy institute founded 100 years ago in the shadow of the First World War, I believe we must do all in our power to avoid a return of the global strategic rivalries that blighted the 20th century.Deepening suspicionsOf course, the outcome does not lie only in the hands of the US and Europe. In the 1930s, as much as they wanted to avoid another great war, British and French leaders were forced to respond to Germany’s aggression in central Europe. In the late 1940s, America’s instinct to disentangle itself from war-ravaged Europe was quickly tempered by the realization that the Soviet Union would impose or infiltrate Communist control as far into Europe as possible.Today, those who warned that China - a one-party, surveillance state with a power-centralising leader - could never be treated as a global stakeholder feel vindicated. They see in COVID-19 an opportunity to harden policies towards China, starting by blocking all Chinese investment into 5G infrastructure and breaking international dependence on Chinese supply chains.They can point to the fact that Chinese Communist Party officials in Wuhan initially prioritised sustaining economic growth and supressed reports about COVID-19’s capacity for human-to-human transmission, epitomised by their treatment of Dr Li Wenliang. They can highlight how Beijing’s obsession with denying Taiwan a voice in the WHO prevented Taiwanese input into the early analysis of the crisis. They can highlight the ways in which Beijing has instrumentalised its medical support for coronavirus-afflicted countries for diplomatic gain.For their part, those in China who believed the US and Europe would never allow China’s return as a regional and world power see this criticism as further evidence. They can point to comments about this being the ‘Chinese virus’, a leaked biological weapon or China’s ‘Chernobyl moment’. ‘Wolf warrior’ Chinese diplomats have sought to outdo each other by challenging narratives about COVID-19, while propagating disinformation about the origins of the virus.There are major risks if this blame game escalates, as it could in the lead-up to a fraught US presidential election. First, consciously uncoupling the US economically from China will make the post-coronavirus recovery that much harder. China already accounts for nearly 20% of world GDP but, unlike after the global financial crisis in 2008, it is fast becoming the world’s leading consumer market. Its financial stimulus measures need to be closely coordinated with the G7 and through the G20.Second, Chinese scientists were the first to uncover the genetic code of the virus and shared it with the WHO as early as January 12, enabling the roll-out of effective testing around the world. They are now involved in the global search for a vaccine alongside American and European counterparts. While the Chinese government will remain a legitimate target for criticism, Chinese citizens and companies will contribute to many of the most important technical breakthroughs this century.Third, if COVID-19 creates a long-term schism between China and the US, with Europeans caught on its edge, this could do deep damage to world order. China may become a less willing partner in lowering global greenhouse gas emissions and sharing renewable energy technologies; in helping African and other developing countries grow sustainably; and in helping to build a more resilient global health infrastructure.Getting the balance rightBut the COVID-19 crisis can also be the hinge point to a more coherent and self-interested transatlantic approach to China, one whose motto should be ‘beware but engage’. There should indeed be limits on state-backed Chinese investment in strategic US and European economic sectors, just as China limits Western access to its market. But the goal should be to lower barriers to trade and investment over time on a mutually beneficial and transparent basis, not to recreate an economic Cold War.Chinese human rights violations, at home and abroad, should be called out. The dissemination of Chinese systems of citizen surveillance, which will be more popular in a post-coronavirus world, should be monitored and contested with US and European alternatives. And the extent of Chinese exports’ access to international markets should be conditional on China improving its phytosanitary standards - which protect humans, animals, and plants from diseases, pests, or contaminants - and strictly regulating unhygienic wet markets.But to go further and try to make disengagement the dominant transatlantic policy as COVID-19 subsides will not only divide Europe and America. It will also contribute to a self-fulfilling prophecy; in which a resentful China grows apart from the US and Europe during a period where they must work together.Given that it will likely be the world’s largest economy in 2030, how the US and Europe manage their relations with China after this crisis is a question at least as seminal as the one they faced after 1945 with the Soviet Union. In the ensuing years, the Soviet Union became a military superpower and competitor, but not an economic one. Containment was a viable, correct and, ultimately, successful strategy. The same options are not available this time. There will be no winners from a new Cold War with China. Full Article
chi Webinar: Make or Break: China and the Geopolitical Impacts of COVID-19 By feedproxy.google.com Published On :: Fri, 24 Apr 2020 15:50:01 +0000 Research Event 28 April 2020 - 12:00pm to 12:45pm Event participants Yu Jie, Senior Research Fellow on China, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham HouseKerry Brown, Associate Fellow, Asia-Pacific Programme, Chatham House; Professor of Chinese Studies and Director of Lau China Institute, King’s College London The COVID-19 crisis has accelerated geopolitical tensions that, in part, have arisen from US-China tensions. At a time when the world needs strong and collective leadership to fight the coronavirus, both countries have been locked in a battle of words characterized by escalating hostility, polarizing narratives, blame and misinformation. Caught in the crossfire, many people of Chinese descent across differing countries have reported an increase in xenophobic attacks.Middle powers such as the UK and Australia have swerved between recognition of the global collaboration needed to solve this pandemic and calls for China to be held ‘accountable’ for its initial response. Others such, as France and Japan, have been trying to foster international cooperation. Against this context, speakers will discuss China’s response to the crisis, including the initial delay and Beijing’s later containment strategies. How do we best assess the delay amidst all the heated rhetoric? What was the response of people within China to the measures? Does COVID-19 mark a point of no return for US-China relations? How might this impact on relations between US allies and China? And what kind of China will emerge from this current crisis? Department/project Asia-Pacific Programme, Geopolitics and Governance, Technology and Society, Trade, Investment and Economics Lucy Ridout Programme Administrator, Asia-Pacific Programme +44 (0) 207 314 2761 Email Full Article
chi Restoring Genius - Discovering lost works of Archimedes - Part 2 By www.ams.org Published On :: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:16:49 -0500 Archimedes was one of the most brilliant people ever, on a par with Einstein and Newton. Yet very little of what he wrote still exists because of the passage of time, and because many copies of his works were erased and the cleaned pages were used again. One of those written-over works (called a palimpsest) has resurfaced, and advanced digital imaging techniques using statistics and linear algebra have revealed his previously unknown discoveries in combinatorics and calculus. This leads to a question that would stump even Archimedes: How much further would mathematics and science have progressed had these discoveries not been erased? One of the most dramatic revelations of Archimedes. work was done using X-ray fluorescence. A painting, forged in the 1940s by one of the book.s former owners, obscured the original text, but X-rays penetrated the painting and highlighted the iron in the ancient ink, revealing a page of Archimedes. treatise The Method of Mechanical Theorems. The entire process of uncovering this and his other ideas is made possible by modern mathematics and physics, which are built on his discoveries and techniques. This completion of a circle of progress is entirely appropriate since one of Archimedes. accomplishments that wasn.t lost is his approximation of pi. For More Information: The Archimedes Codex, Reviel Netz and William Noel, 2007. Full Article
chi Restoring Genius - Discovering lost works of Archimedes - Part 1 By www.ams.org Published On :: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 10:09:47 -0500 Archimedes was one of the most brilliant people ever, on a par with Einstein and Newton. Yet very little of what he wrote still exists because of the passage of time, and because many copies of his works were erased and the cleaned pages were used again. One of those written-over works (called a palimpsest) has resurfaced, and advanced digital imaging techniques using statistics and linear algebra have revealed his previously unknown discoveries in combinatorics and calculus. This leads to a question that would stump even Archimedes: How much further would mathematics and science have progressed had these discoveries not been erased? One of the most dramatic revelations of Archimedes. work was done using X-ray fluorescence. A painting, forged in the 1940s by one of the book.s former owners, obscured the original text, but X-rays penetrated the painting and highlighted the iron in the ancient ink, revealing a page of Archimedes. treatise The Method of Mechanical Theorems. The entire process of uncovering this and his other ideas is made possible by modern mathematics and physics, which are built on his discoveries and techniques. This completion of a circle of progress is entirely appropriate since one of Archimedes. accomplishments that wasn.t lost is his approximation of pi. For More Information: The Archimedes Codex, Reviel Netz and William Noel, 2007. Full Article
chi Matching Vital Needs - Increasing the number of live-donor kidney transplants By www.ams.org Published On :: Wed, 1 Jul 2009 10:07:19 -0400 A person needing a kidney transplant may have a friend or relative who volunteers to be a living donor, but whose kidney is incompatible, forcing the person to wait for a transplant from a deceased donor. In the U.S. alone, thousands of people die each year without ever finding a suitable kidney. A new technique applies graph theory to groups of incompatible patient-donor pairs to create the largest possible number of paired-donation exchanges. These exchanges, in which a donor paired with Patient A gives a kidney to Patient B while a donor paired with Patient B gives to Patient A, will dramatically increase transplants from living donors. Since transplantation is less expensive than dialysis, this mathematical algorithm, in addition to saving lives, will also save hundreds of millions of dollars annually. Naturally there can be more transplants if matches along longer patient-donor cycles are considered (e.g., A.s donor to B, B.s donor to C, and C.s donor to A). The problem is that the possible number of longer cycles grows so fast hundreds of millions of A >B>C>A matches in just 5000 donor-patient pairs that to search through all the possibilities is impossible. An ingenious use of random walks and integer programming now makes searching through all three-way matches feasible, even in a database large enough to include all incompatible patient-donor pairs. For More Information: Matchmaking for Kidneys, Dana Mackenzie, SIAM News, December 2008. Image of suboptimal two-way matching (in purple) and an optimal matching (in green), courtesy of Sommer Gentry. Full Article
chi Catching and Releasing: Part 2 By www.ams.org Published On :: Mon, 1 Oct 2012 09:46:50 -0400 There.s more mathematics involved in juggling than just trying to make sure that the number of balls (or chainsaws) that hits the ground stays at zero. Subjects such as combinatorics and abstract algebra help jugglers answer important questions, such as whether a particular juggling pattern can actually be juggled. For example, can balls be juggled so that the time period that each ball stays aloft alternates between five counts and one? The answer is Yes. Math also tells you that the number of balls needed for such a juggling pattern is the average of the counts, in this case three. Once a pattern is shown to be juggleable and the number of balls needed is known, equations of motion determine the speed with which each ball must be thrown and the maximum height it will attain. Obviously the harder a juggler throws, the faster and higher an object will go. Unfortunately hang time increases proportionally to the square root of the height, so the difficulty of keeping many objects in the air increases very quickly. Both math and juggling have been around for millennia yet questions still remain in both subjects. As two juggling mathematicians wrote, .A juggler, like a mathematician, is never finished: there is always another great unsolved problem. Full Article
chi Catching and Releasing: Part 1 By www.ams.org Published On :: Mon, 1 Oct 2012 09:21:21 -0400 There.s more mathematics involved in juggling than just trying to make sure that the number of balls (or chainsaws) that hits the ground stays at zero. Subjects such as combinatorics and abstract algebra help jugglers answer important questions, such as whether a particular juggling pattern can actually be juggled. For example, can balls be juggled so that the time period that each ball stays aloft alternates between five counts and one? The answer is Yes. Math also tells you that the number of balls needed for such a juggling pattern is the average of the counts, in this case three. Once a pattern is shown to be juggleable and the number of balls needed is known, equations of motion determine the speed with which each ball must be thrown and the maximum height it will attain. Obviously the harder a juggler throws, the faster and higher an object will go. Unfortunately hang time increases proportionally to the square root of the height, so the difficulty of keeping many objects in the air increases very quickly. Both math and juggling have been around for millennia yet questions still remain in both subjects. As two juggling mathematicians wrote, .A juggler, like a mathematician, is never finished: there is always another great unsolved problem. Full Article
chi Freeing Up Architecture: Part 1 By www.ams.org Published On :: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 15:10:01 -0400 Many of today.s most striking buildings are nontraditional freeform shapes. A new field of mathematics, discrete differential geometry, makes it possible to construct these complex shapes that begin as designers. digital creations. Since it.s impossible to fashion a large structure out of a single piece of glass or metal, the design is realized using smaller pieces that best fit the original smooth surface. Triangles would appear to be a natural choice to represent a shape, but it turns out that using quadrilaterals.which would seem to be more difficult.saves material and money and makes the structure easier to build. One of the primary goals of researchers is to create an efficient, streamlined process that integrates design and construction parameters so that early on architects can assess the feasibility of a given idea. Currently, implementing a plan involves extensive (and often expensive) interplay on computers between subdivision.breaking up the entire structure into manageable manufacturable pieces.and optimization.solving nonlinear equations in high-dimensional spaces to get as close as possible to the desired shape. Designers and engineers are seeking new mathematics to improve that process. Thus, in what might be characterized as a spiral with each field enriching the other, their needs will lead to new mathematics, which makes the shapes possible in the first place. For More Information: .Geometric computing for freeform architecture,. J. Wallner and H. Pottmann. Journal of Mathematics in Industry, Vol. 1, No. 4, 2011. Full Article
chi Unbunching Buses By www.ams.org Published On :: Sun, 9 Jun 2019 13:24:43 -0400 Researchers: Vikash V. Gayah and S. Ilgin Guler, Pennsylvania State University Description: Gayah and Guler talk about mitigating the clustering of buses on a route. Full Article
chi In Effort to Stop Faulty Goods, China Asks Importers to Ensure PPE Meets Standards By www8.gsb.columbia.edu Published On :: Wed, 06 May 2020 17:36:45 +0000 Strategy Thursday, April 30, 2020 - 13:30 Full Article
chi Deep history in western China reveals how humans can enhance biodiversity By www.chinadialogue.net Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT Jiuzhaigou National Nature Reserve is one of China's most popular tourist attractions, drawing more than five million visitors per year to the sparsely populated mountains of north-western Sichuan. The reserve has been home to farmer-herders for thousands of years, but to conserve the biodiversity and scenic quality of the reserve, park policies prohibit residents from farming, herding and wood cutting. Full Article
chi Parallel threats of COVID-19, climate change, require 'brave, visionary and collaborative leadership': UN chief By news.un.org Published On :: Thu, 30 Apr 2020 00:00:00 GMT And against the backdrop of threatened lives, crippled businesses and damaged economies, the UN chief warned the Petersberg Climate Dialogue in Berlin that the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are also under threat. Full Article
chi US-China Economic Relations & COVID-19: What's Next? By www8.gsb.columbia.edu Published On :: Wed, 29 Apr 2020 00:00:00 -0400 The world's two largest economies are both partners and rivals, deeply intertwined but also with divergent interests. How will these contradictions resolve themselves following COVID-19? Full Article
chi CBD News: Japan launches the preparation of the Nagoya Biodiversity Summit to be held in Aichi Prefecture, Nagoya city in October 2010. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: The CBD Secretariat is launching an e-Newsletter on "Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)" today, to inform CBD National Focal Points and other interested recipients about the biodiversity aspects of this By www.cbd.int Published On :: Thu, 16 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: The CBD Secretariat is launching a quarterly e-Newsletter on the Ecosystem Approach, in order to facilitate sharing of information on the application of the ecosystem approach and promote the use and voluntary update of the Ecosystem Approach So By www.cbd.int Published On :: Tue, 16 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: Statement by Mr Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of Life Institute Launching Event, 17 July 2009, Curitiba, Brazil. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: Address by Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf on the occasion "the Biodiversity Debate: Engaging and Educating Children on Biodiversity as the Future Guardians of our Planet", held on 3 September 2009 at the Royal Geographical Society, London, UK. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: Statement by Mr. Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the Aichi-Nagoya COP 10 Promotion Committee Symposium, 11 October 2009, Nagoya, Japan. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Sun, 11 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: Message from Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of World Food Day, 16 October 2009 - Achieving Food Security in Times of Crisis. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: Message from Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 17 October 2009 - Children and Families Speak out against Poverty. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Communiqué: Aichi/Nagoya International E-Conference on the Post 2010 Biodiversity Target (ANIEC 2010). By www.cbd.int Published On :: Mon, 09 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Communiqué: Enhancing Preparations for the Aichi-Nagoya Biodiversity Summit By www.cbd.int Published On :: Thu, 19 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: Statement by Mr Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the Presentation/Launching of the International Year of Biodiversity in Argentina, 9 December 2009, Ushuaia, Argentina. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Wed, 09 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: Message from Ahmed Djoghlaf on the occasion of the Aichi-Nagoya Celebration Event of the Opening of the International Year of Biodiversity held on 16 January 2010. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Sat, 16 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Press Release: Aichi-Nagoya, the Host Region of the Next Conference of Parties, Celebrates the International Year of Biodiversity. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Communiqué: Alarming Global Survey on Children's Perceptions of Nature. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Tue, 18 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Press Release: World Celebrates Biodiversity as a Major Tool for Achieving Development and Alleviating Poverty. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Mon, 24 May 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Communiqué: The Logo of the Aichi Nagoya Biodiversity Summit in the Sky. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Communiqué: Engaging children and youth on biodiversity at the Farnborough International Airshow. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: Statement by Mr Ahmed Djoghlaf the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity on the Occasion of the High-Level International Forum on the Strategy for Biodviersity Conservation, 25 August 2010, Chengdu, China. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Wed, 25 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Communiqué: China expedites finalization of its new biodiversity strategy and action plan By www.cbd.int Published On :: Thu, 26 Aug 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Communiqué: Call for urgent action by the Aichi International Youth Conference on Biodiversity. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Tue, 07 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD News: Statement by Mr Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, on the occasion of the 15th Iuappa World Clean Air Congress "Achieving Environmental Sustainability in A Resource Hungry World", 12 Septembe By www.cbd.int Published On :: Sun, 12 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Press Release: One Step Further towards the Adoption of the Aichi Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Media Advisory: Parties to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to meet in Aichi-Nagoya from 11 to 15 October 2010. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Tue, 28 Sep 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Communiqué: The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the Group of 77 and China support the adoption of the Multi-Year Plan of Action on South-South Cooperation on Biodiversity for Development at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to th By www.cbd.int Published On :: Fri, 01 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Press Release: The Aichi Nagoya Summit on Biodiversity: a new Biodiversity Strategy for the twenty-first century. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Press Release: Climate change, biodiversity loss, deforestation and land degradation addressed as a single challenge at the Aichi Nagoya Biodiversity Summit. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Mon, 18 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Press Release: The Group of 77 and China propose a Multi-Year Plan of Action for South-South Cooperation on Biodiversity for Development for adoption at the tenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Wed, 20 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD UNEP Press Release: Jamaica School Children Help Celebrate United Nations International Year of Biodiversity. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Tue, 16 Nov 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article
chi CBD Communiqué: London's world renowned Natural History Museum joins forces with CBD for the implementation of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets. By www.cbd.int Published On :: Mon, 13 Dec 2010 00:00:00 GMT Full Article