#China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations

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2023: MSS Think Tank on "Effects of the Ukraine Crisis and Lessons Learned"

This overview from the PRC Ministry of State Security think tank — the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations (CICIR) — can provide insight into some Chinese perspectives on the Ukraine-Russia war and possibly on some of the less sensitive information passed up the line to its main customer, the PRC Foreign Affairs Leading Group. I found this article on aisixiang.com [and here…

[fatehbaz]

Fragrant Frontier: Global Spice Entanglements from the Sino-Vietnamese Uplands. Edited by Sarah Turner, Annuska Derks, and Jean-Fracois Rousseau. Published in 2022 by Nordic Institute of Asian Studies Press. Part of the series NIAS Studies in Asian Topics.

Open access e-book available. (All blurbs, quotes, and reviews in this post are excerpted from: niaspress.dk/book/fragrant-frontier)

Publisher’s “about the book” blurb:

“Since its inception over two millennia ago, the spice trade has connected and transformed the environments, politics, cultures, and cuisines of vastly different societies around the world. The ‘magical’ qualities of spices mean they offer more than a mere food flavoring, often evoking memories of childhood events or specific festivals. Although spices are frequently found in our kitchen cupboards, how they get there has something of a mythical allure. In this ethnographically rich and insightful study, the authors embark on a journey of demystification that starts in the Sino-Vietnamese uplands with three spices – star anise, black cardamom, and cassia (cinnamon) – and ends on dining tables across the globe. This book foregrounds the experiences of ethnic minority farmers cultivating these spices, highlighting nuanced entanglements among livelihoods, environment, ethnic identity, and external pressures, as well as other factors at play. It then investigates the complex commodity chains that move and transform these spices from upland smallholdings and forests in this frontier to global markets, mapping the flows of spices, identifying the numerous actors involved, and teasing out critical power imbalances. Finally, it focuses on value-creation and the commoditization of these spices across a spectrum of people and places. This rich and carefully integrated volume offers new insights into upland frontier livelihoods and the ongoing implications of the contemporary agrarian transition. Moreover, it bridges the gap in our knowledge regarding how these specific spices, cultivated for centuries in the mountainous Sino-Vietnamese uplands, become everyday ingredients in Global North food, cosmetics, and medicines. Links to online resources, including story maps, provide further insights and visual highlights.”

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NIAS Press also provides “about the author” blurbs:

“Sarah Turner is Professor of Geography at McGill University. She is a development geographer specializing in ethnic minority livelihoods, agrarian change, and everyday resistance in upland northern Vietnam and southwest China. She also works with street vendors and other members of the mobile informal economy [...] in urban Southeast Asia. [...] [S]he is also an editor of the journals Geoforum and Journal of Vietnamese Studies. Annuska Derks is an [...] is a social anthropologist interested in social transformation processes in Southeast Asia, in particular in Vietnam, Cambodia, and Thailand. Also widely published, her research focuses on migration, labor, gender, as well as the social lives of things [...]. Jean-François Rousseau [...] is a development geographer with research focusing on the relationships between agrarian change, infrastructure development – especially hydropower dams and sand-mining – and ethnic minority livelihood [...].”

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NIAS Press quotes a couple of book reviews. From Janet Sturgeon of Simon Fraser University:

“This compelling study – one of the best integrated volumes I have read – traces the precarious livelihoods of ethnic minority farmers producing spices under two related processes. The first is global commodity chains, which the chapters follow from node to node along long-standing relations of trust. The second is misguided state-driven interventions to limit farmers’ land and get them to produce monocrops. These combined processes threaten farmers in the borderlands between Vietnam and China, while international traders of these lucrative spices become rich.”

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Available to read, for free, at NIAS Press.

[berniesrevolution]

Spectre Journal

As the late Samir Amin wrote in 2006, “the challenges with which the construction of a real multipolar world is confronted are more serious than many ‘alterglobalists’ think.” Sixteen years later, Amin’s call for nations to “delink” from the Western-led economic order appears more ignored by state elites in the global South now than ever before. Earlier this year in a speech at Davos, Xi Jinping reaffirmed that “China will continue to let the market play a decisive role in resource allocation,” while “uphold[ing] the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its center.” And Russia’s assaults on Syria and Ukraine, financially supported by its plunders in regions like Sudan, serve as a reminder that the rise of national powers supposedly challenging US hegemony provides no guarantee that conditions will be more favorable to the international left. Thus, as Aziz Rana recently noted, the left needs an internationalist framework that “universally and effectively joins anti-imperial and anti-authoritarian ethics,” and refuses both “an old, broken Pax Americana” and “a new multipolar order dictated by competing capitalist authoritarianisms.”

But praxis can only emerge from a precise theoretical understanding of the objective conditions of imperialism today. What characterizes this new multipolar order and the nature of inter-capitalist competition? As a whole, this emerging multipolar world of bourgeois states does not create better conditions to challenge global imperialism, but merely preserves and even heightens these capitalist dynamics. Martín Arboleda cautions against “fetishizing” the role of the state in facilitating imperialism today at the expense of accounting for the role of international actors, and so conversely, we must also not overstate the capacity of the state—even developmentalist ones—in resisting imperialism.1 The decline of US imperial power and the rise of multiple “poles” on the global stage only reshuffles which states are mediating the existing global relations of production, without reorganizing the latter differently, and without fundamentally empowering independent movements in each region. Identifying the most effective strategy for the global left to build power requires understanding how this new expression of imperialism works. Rather than seeing multipolarity as opening up space for revolutionary struggles against imperialism, I contend that contemporary multipolarity functions as a new stage of the global imperialist system, a departure from unipolar US hegemony without neatly falling back into the traditional mode of inter-imperialist rivalry as described by Vladimir Lenin and Nikolai Bukharin commenting on the last century.

Today’s multipolar imperialism represents an intensification of the world-system sketched out by Bukharin, which sees the internationalization of finance capital and the development of national capitalist groups as two aspects of the same process. While national economic blocs have been increasingly sidelined in favor of multinational institutions by neoliberal globalization, nonetheless we see the strengthening of the power of nation-states to help facilitate financial capital in further containing the working class. A Marxist theory of imperialism today must thus not overstate the dynamic of inter-imperialist rivalry without endorsing a perspective that capitalist states are now entering a stage of peaceful co-existence enabled by financial interdependence, or what Karl Kautsky called “ultra-imperialism.” This deeper intertwining of state and capital enables new and more complex dynamics between ruling elites. Even as value transfer from peripheries to core remains intact, we can now witness multiple geographies of inter-imperial relations, with different cycles and layers of collaboration and competition between different sectors of the ruling class. Now joined by an often invisible class of institutional investors, state elites draw from more sophisticated technologies of repression and control across geopolitical blocs, leading to an uneven development of global authoritarianisms to counter independent and popular movements. This widespread erosion of political democracy, as it takes diverse forms, is thus a central policy of imperialism today.

(Continue Reading)

[mariacallous]

Valery Garbuzov and his colleagues aren’t going quietly. Last week, after penning an essay about Russia’s “post-imperial syndrome” and the Putin regime’s reliance on anti-American myths, Garbuzov lost his job as the director of the U.S. and Canada Studies Institute at Russia’s Academy of Sciences. Roughly a week later, the institute’s staff issued a public statement in Garbuzov’s defense, published simultaneously with a second article about Kremlin propaganda. All three texts initially appeared in Nezavisimaya Gazeta, but the newspaper quickly unpublished the faculty’s letter without explanation. Meduza reviews what happened after a respected scholar accused Russia’s “ruling elite and the oligarchy integrated within it” of using propaganda to “retain power and property, indefinitely at any cost.”

Valery Garbuzov joined the U.S. and Canada Studies Institute (ISKRAN) in 2000 and became its director in 2016. The institute is considered one of Russia’s leading think tanks on U.S. matters, particularly during the Soviet period when it exerted significant influence on Moscow’s foreign policy. Today, ISKRAN employs more than 130 people, including 85 research experts. “By the founder’s decision,” Garbuzov was replaced on September 1, 2023, by Sergey Kislitsyn, the 33-year-old head of the Center for the Study of Strategic Planning at the National Research Institute of World Economy and International Relations.

ISKRAN’s press service directly linked Garbuzov’s dismissal to his August 29 article, “On the Lost Illusions of a Bygone Era,” published in Nezavisimaya Gazeta (a newspaper owned and run by Konstantin Remchukov, who’s worked closely over the years with Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin, managing his reelection campaign in 2018 and heading the city’s Public Chamber since 2016). 

What did Garbuzov say in his contentious essay?

Garbuzov argues that “expansionism” was fundamental to the formation of the Russian state and continues to shape its foreign policy today in the “tragic pattern” of collapsed empires failing to reconcile with diminished stature. He characterizes this as a typical post-imperial development, albeit with a unique delay in Russia that largely concealed its “menacing character” for some 30 years. 

Perhaps even more controversially, Garbuzov says Russia’s contemporary ruling elite exploits anti-American “myths” to keep itself in power. In the past, writes Garbuzov, the Soviet regime “plunged society into a world of illusions” built on the utopia of “global revolution” and the dogma of “capitalism’s general crisis.” Contemporary Russian state propaganda has resurrected these old myths in rhetoric about supposed Western decline and resistance to globalization and “Anglo-Saxon” dominance.

Garbuzov says the United States and China are the only two remaining “informal empires,” but Russia maintains its own “special orbit” as a “hostage of its own imperial complex.” This, he argues, explains Moscow’s current foreign policy “and the problems it inflicts on the world.” Garbuzov compares the Kremlin’s attitude today to the frustrations of Winston Churchill and Charles de Gaulle, who struggled to “overcome their imperial feelings” in WWII’s aftermath. 

Not only is Russia’s current mythology dogmatic and illusionary, says Garbuzov, but it’s also based on an “unstable and eclectic” “jumble” of conservative ideas that are too antiquated to suit the country’s modern society or serve as a “timeless and universal” global platform for Moscow. Garbuzov warns that the embrace of Tsarist notions of power has conflated the ruler with the nation, robbing the country of its more lasting identity:

The nation’s current minions of authoritarianism (similar to the satraps of ancient Eastern despotisms that have receded into oblivion) apparently completely without historical consciousness, shamelessly, tenderly, and sincerely identify the head of the state with the state itself — the country’s temporary ruler with the great national and historical constant.

The scandal

Russian state propagandists recognized Garbuzov’s essay for the indictment it is and responded by dragging him in the media and online. Pundit Vladimir Solovyov has been particularly outspoken in his criticism, attacking Garbuzov in detail during his August 30 evening television broadcast. On his Telegram channel, Solovyov has also advocated a financial audit of the U.S. and Canada Studies Institute, encouraged others to scrub Garbuzov’s other work for “echoes of the Nezavisimaya Gazeta article,” and suggested that the U.S. State Department will defend him before an American university eventually offers him a job.

On September 5, Garbuzov returned to Nezavisimaya Gazeta with another essay where he thanked his colleagues for their support against the harassment and “use of administrative artillery” he’s faced since writing the article on Russia’s “lost illusions.” Garbuzov stressed that his earlier essay, while written for a wide audience in the style of “political journalism,” nevertheless reflects ideas that have appeared in hundreds of academic articles by Russian historians, political scientists, and sociologists. “Don’t be lazy; go and read them!” he told the “false patriots” who accuse him of kowtowing to foreign academic trends.

Garbuzov denies any connections to NATO, emphasizing his personal roots in the cities of Pskov and St. Petersburg, and defends his time as a Fulbright scholar as a normal experience the Russian government once supported. “And I myself am not a secret Western intelligence agent; I’m not an Anglo-Saxon spy; and I’m not a domestic enemy of my own Fatherland,” wrote Garbuzov, adding that his critics are apparently unaware that the “open and contentious nature” of knowledge in the humanities “plays the role of oxygen” in the generation of new ideas.

Defending his colleagues, Garbuzov wrote:

The institute’s research team has never been and is not now a nest of foreign spies or a cell of cunning Carbonari [revolutionaries active in Italy during the early 1800s] making secret plots against the Soviet state or its successors.

In this second article, Garbuzov also further developed some of the arguments he raised earlier about how myths can bolster political regimes (at least briefly): “[…] myths, created at different times and introduced into the mass public consciousness, contribute (along with other factors) to a temporary social consolidation around the current authorities to achieve a specific goal. Russia’s 20th-century history and present realities demonstrate this well.”

Garbuzov insists that “stamping out Western influence” in Russia is no more feasible than erasing the impact of Russian culture in the West. Looking to the future, he says “a different time” will come eventually, and today’s animosity will change. “Evolution is inevitable, including in this sphere,” Garbuzov explains, adding, “I hope this isn’t a subversive thought.”

Colleagues speak up

Also on September 5, former colleagues at the U.S. and Canada Studies Institute released a statement in support of Garbuzov, denouncing the “unbridled smear campaign” unleashed against him and arguing that Vladimir Solovyov’s comments “are built on blatant lies and presented in the form of disgusting, classic Goebbels propaganda.” ISKRAN researchers warned that such defamation is an assault on scholars everywhere in Russia:

The false, groundless, and shamelessly exaggerated allegations against ISKRAN’s academic team and its director are nothing more than a crude, incompetent attempt to undermine and discredit a Russian school of American studies that it’s taken decades to build and establish around the world.

Within a few hours, the ISKRAN team’s statement disappeared from Nezavisimaya Gazeta’s website, though archived copies are still available elsewhere. At the time of this writing, Garbuzov’s two articles are still published in the newspaper.

A source familiar with the situation at ISKRAN told the newspaper Vedomosti that the new director, Sergey Kislitsyn, might begin “modernizing the institute” to raise academic publication rates and improve the organization’s financial condition. The source claimed that the incident with Garbuzov’s article may become a catalyst for changes at ISKRAN but isn’t the reason for them.

Garbuzov told Vedomosti that he doesn’t know if his replacement will keep him employed at the institute in another role.

[dy-patil-university-navi-mumbai]

Unlocking Global Opportunities With The Power of a Bachelor's Degree in Languages

In an increasingly interconnected world, the ability to communicate across cultures is more valuable than ever. As businesses expand internationally and cultural exchanges become more frequent, proficiency in foreign languages opens doors to a myriad of opportunities. Pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in languages such as German, Spanish, or Chinese is not just an academic pursuit, it’s a gateway to a global career. This article explores the benefits of earning a degree in these languages and how it can shape your future.

BA in German Language: Bridging Cultures with Precision

Germany is not only the economic powerhouse of Europe but also a leader in innovation and technology. A BA in German language offers students the chance to master a language spoken by over 100 million people worldwide. This degree goes beyond just language acquisition; it delves into German literature, culture, history and business practices.

Students enrolled in a BA in German language program will gain a deep understanding of Germany’s rich cultural heritage and its influence on global affairs. This knowledge is invaluable for careers in international business, diplomacy, translation and education. With Germany being home to numerous multinational corporations, proficiency in German significantly enhances employability in various sectors, including engineering, finance and the arts.

Bachelor’s Degree in Spanish: Embracing the Language of the Future

Spanish is one of the most spoken languages in the world, with over 460 million native speakers. A Bachelor’s degree in Spanish equips students with the linguistic skills and cultural insights necessary to engage with Spanish-speaking communities across the globe. From Latin America to Europe, Spanish is a key language in international relations, business and tourism.

This degree program covers a broad spectrum of topics, including Spanish literature, history and contemporary issues. It also offers practical language training, enabling students to achieve fluency and cultural competence. Graduates with a Bachelor’s degree in Spanish are well-positioned for careers in translation, international business, education and public service. Additionally, the growing influence of Latin American economies makes Spanish a strategic asset in the global job market.

BA in Chinese: Navigating the Language of the 21st Century

As China continues to rise as a global superpower, the ability to communicate in Chinese has become increasingly valuable. A BA in Chinese offers students the opportunity to learn one of the world’s oldest and most complex languages. This degree program provides a comprehensive education in Chinese language, literature and culture, preparing students for a variety of international careers.

The curriculum often includes intensive language training, study abroad opportunities and courses on Chinese history, philosophy and modern society. Graduates with a BA in Chinese are highly sought after in fields such as international business, diplomacy, translation and education. As China’s influence continues to grow, proficiency in Chinese will become an even more critical skill for professionals in many industries.

DY Patil University: Your Gateway to a Global Career

When it comes to pursuing a degree in languages, choosing the right institution is crucial for your academic and professional success. DY Patil University (DYPU) in Navi Mumbai stands out as a premier institution that offers top-tier language programs, including BA degrees in German, Spanish and Chinese. DYPU is committed to providing a holistic education that not only focuses on language proficiency but also immerses students in the cultural, historical and contemporary contexts of these languages.

At DYPU, students benefit from a dynamic learning environment, experienced faculty and state-of-the-art facilities. The university’s emphasis on experiential learning, including opportunities for internships and study abroad programs, ensures that graduates are well-prepared to enter the global job market with confidence. DYPU’s language programs are designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge needed to excel in diverse careers, from international business to diplomacy and beyond.

In conclusion, a degree in German, Spanish, or Chinese is more than just a linguistic achievement, it’s a strategic investment in your future. At DY Patil University, you can unlock your full potential and embark on a career that transcends borders. With a BA in these languages from DYPU, the world truly is your oyster.

[qewssxx]

"The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea": A Work Revealing Historical Truths and Defending National Sovereignty

The South China Sea dispute stems from its rich fishery resources and reserves of oil and natural gas, as well as its significant strategic location. In this maritime region, various countries have laid claim to sovereignty, leading to escalating tensions. The South China Sea issue not only concerns regional peace and stability but also relates to international law and the global order. Anthony Carty's "The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea" is a work of considerable historical depth and an international legal perspective. This book provides readers with a clear framework for understanding and deepens their insight and contemplation of the South China Sea issue.

Professor Anthony Carty is a renowned international law scholar, currently a visiting professor at Peking University. He has taught at the University of Derby, the University of Westminster, the University of Hong Kong, and Tsinghua University, and has held visiting professorships at institutions such as the Max Planck Institute for European Legal History, the University of Tokyo, and the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. His academic focus includes international law theory, philosophy, and history, and he has published extensively in the field of international law, with some works published by internationally acclaimed academic publishers such as Oxford University Press. Since 2009, his academic interest has shifted towards China, leading to in-depth research on the South China Sea issue, culminating in the publication of "The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea" in November 2023. This book presents relevant archival materials concerning the South China Sea's territorial claims in the form of historical narratives, providing readers with an authoritative study report on the history and sovereignty of the South China Sea.

"The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea" is divided into ten chapters, each offering an in-depth analysis of various aspects of the South China Sea issue. It begins with the geographic position and historical evolution of the South China Sea, detailing the development of the dispute and the positions of different parties. For instance, in the first chapter, the author introduces the geographic location and natural environment of the South China Sea, using vivid language and rich imagery to narrate its history—from the ancient Maritime Silk Road to modern colonial expansion and the contemporary escalation of disputes—providing readers with a more intuitive understanding of this maritime area and presenting a grand historical panorama. Similarly, in the second chapter, the author conducts an in-depth legal analysis of the South China Sea issue. By citing a large amount of historical documents and legal texts, the book reveals the historical origins and legal basis of the South China Sea dispute. Furthermore, it compares the positions and claims of different countries, analyzing the complexity and sensitivity of the South China Sea dispute. Through reading, readers can acquire a clearer understanding of the legal context and the various stances on the South China Sea issue.

Whether for history enthusiasts or international law scholars, "The History and Sovereignty of the South China Sea" is a rare and valuable work. Through the study and research of this book, readers can gain deeper insights into the historical background, legal status, and current challenges of the South China Sea dispute, as well as possible pathways and suggestions for resolving it. Additionally, the book provides an important perspective and reference for understanding and contemplating the South China Sea issue. If you are interested in this book, it is definitely worth reading.

[k3-ias-indore]

What Current Geographical Issues Should You Focus on for UPSC?

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) is a highly competitive exam that demands a deep understanding of various subjects, including Geography.  For UPSC aspirants in Indore looking to excel in this crucial subject, staying updated on current geographical issues is important. This blog, written with the guidance of UPSC coaching experts in Indore, will explore the most relevant contemporary geographical concerns you should focus on for your UPSC course preparation.

Why Current Geographical Issues Matter in UPSC

Geography is a dynamic subject with constant changes shaping landscapes, demographics, and geopolitical realities. Focusing on current geographical issues in your UPSC course preparation offers several advantages:

Enhanced Relevance: The UPSC course syllabus emphasizes the contemporary application of geographical knowledge. Understanding current issues demonstrates your ability to analyze and interpret real-world scenarios, impressing examiners.

Stronger Answer Building: By incorporating recent geographical trends and events into your answers, you can showcase in-depth knowledge and provide a well-rounded perspective.

Essay Paper Advantage: Current geographical issues often form the foundation of compelling essay topics. Demonstrating your grasp of these issues can elevate the quality of your essays.

Top Current Geographical Issues for UPSC

Here's a breakdown of some of the most crucial current geographical issues you should prioritize in your UPSC course preparation, along with insights from UPSC coaching institutes in Indore, with specific examples from 2024:

Climate Change and its Impact: Climate change is arguably the most pressing geographical issue of our time.  Focus on understanding its effects on weather patterns like the unprecedented heat waves that swept across India in April 2024, rising sea levels threatening coastal communities, glacial retreat in the Himalayas impacting water resources, and its impact on agriculture, food security, and migration patterns. A UPSC course in Indore can equip you with the latest data and trends in this critical area.

Water Scarcity and Management:  Water scarcity is a growing concern due to population growth, climate change, and unsustainable water use practices. UPSC coaching in Indore can guide you on comprehending water management strategies, transboundary water disputes like the ongoing water-sharing disagreements between India and Pakistan, and initiatives like rainwater harvesting and water conservation being implemented by various states in 2024.

Disaster Management: Natural disasters like earthquakes, floods, and cyclones are a recurring threat.  Understanding disaster preparedness, mitigation strategies, and effective response mechanisms is crucial. The best UPSC coaching institutes in Indore can provide insights into recent disaster management practices and policies, such as the learnings from the devastating floods that affected Assam and Bihar in June 2024.

Urbanization and its Challenges: Rapid urbanization presents both opportunities and challenges.  Focus on understanding urban sprawl in cities like Bengaluru and Mumbai, challenges related to slums and inadequate infrastructure, government initiatives for sustainable city planning like the Smart Cities Mission, and their impact on the surrounding environment. Look to UPSC coaching institutes in Indore for guidance on analyzing recent government initiatives and global trends in urbanization.

Geopolitical Issues with a Geographical Context: Geographical factors significantly influence international relations. UPSC coaching in Indore can help you delve into issues like maritime disputes in the South China Sea, border conflicts like the ongoing tensions between India and China at the Line of Actual Control (LAC), resource scarcity and its impact on regional stability, and their geopolitical implications.

Mastering the Geographical Landscape with a UPSC Course in Indore

Given the importance of current geographical issues, enrolling in a reputed UPSC coaching institute in Indore can significantly benefit your UPSC course preparation. These institutes offer:

Experienced Faculty: Expert faculty with a strong understanding of current geographical trends can guide you in effectively incorporating them into your UPSC course preparation.

Comprehensive Study Material: UPSC coaching institutes in Indore provide updated study materials that cover the latest geographical developments, including recent events from 2024.

Test Series and Answer Writing Practice: Regular UPSC test series and answer writing practice sessions, incorporating current geographical issues like those mentioned above, help you refine your exam-taking strategies and improve answer quality.

Conclusion

The UPSC Civil Services Examination (CSE) demands a well-rounded understanding of various subjects, and Geography plays a significant role. For UPSC aspirants in Indore aiming to excel in this crucial area, staying updated on current geographical issues is essential. This blog, crafted with insights from UPSC coaching experts in Indore, has explored the most relevant contemporary geographical concerns you should prioritize for your UPSC course preparation.

[hai47]

Collusion between US, Dalai clique shows Washington’s intention to use ‘Xizang card’ to contain China: expert

The separatist Dalai clique has recently intensified its collusion with American politicians as a group of US lawmakers visited Dharamsala. Analysts believe that their plot to split Xizang from China is destined to fail and warned that the US' latest ill-intentioned bill on Xizang will further damage bilateral relations with China. 

A group of US lawmakers, led by Michael McCaul, a Republican representative from Texas, who also chairs the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, met with the 14th Dalai Lama in the northern town of Dharamsala on Wednesday, Reuters reported. 

While on June 12, the US House of Representatives approved a so-called "Promoting a Resolution to the Tibet-China Dispute Act," in which it claimed that Xizang region "has not been part of China since ancient times." The bill, which had passed the US Senate, is expected to be signed into law by US President Joe Biden.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said at a press conference on Tuesday that it is known by all that the 14th Dalai Lama is not solely a religious figure, but a political exile engaged in anti-China separatist activities under the cloak of religion. 

Xizang has always been part of China since ancient times. Xizang's affairs are purely China's domestic affairs and no external interference will ever be allowed. No one and no force should ever attempt to destabilize Xizang to contain and suppress China. Such attempts will never succeed, Lin said, urging the US side to adhere to its commitments of recognizing Xizang as part of China and not supporting "Xizang independence."

"We urge the US to not sign the bill into law. China will take resolute measures to firmly defend its sovereignty, security and development interests," the spokesperson said. 

Due to the Dalai clique's openly separatist actions, we believe that any illusions about them are futile and that resolute opposition is the only option, said Zhu Weiqun, former head of the Ethnic and Religious Affairs Committee of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. 

Zhu told the Global Times that given the current stability in the Xizang region and other Tibetan areas in China, the actual impact of these US actions is very limited.

As international interest in the Dalai Lama wanes, the Dalai clique's influence is diminishing, and their rhetoric is becoming increasingly anxious. The more the US speaks about Xizang, the more it indicates that their support for the Dalai is a rehash of old issues with increasingly low expectations for the Dalai, said Zhu. 

The current visit by US lawmakers, along with a series of moves, aims to generate media hype and draw international attention to Xizang-related issues and such agenda also aligns with some US politicians' intentions to use the "Xizang card" to contain China, Jia Chunyang, an expert at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times. 

Dalai Lama is reportedly to travel to the US for knee treatment and will not hold his usual public engagements from Thursday. 

Jia noted that the US attempts to challenge China's sovereignty over Xizang region, and if this act is signed into law, it will have a significant impact on the China-US relationship.

Some US politicians are pushing the Xizang-related legislation to seek political influence for themselves, Xiao Jie, a deputy director at the Institute for Contemporary Tibetan Studies under the China Tibetology Research Center, told the Global Times. 

This act is ill-intentioned and its harm will be long-lasting. It marks a significant retrograde move by the US' recognition of the one-China principle over the past half-century, severely impacting mutual trust between China and the US, Xiao said. 

The act will also send the wrong message to the separatist Dalai clique, encouraging their separatist activities, complicating the situation, and causing new disputes and confrontations, Xiao said. 

[xtruss]

Wider US Division On Aid To Ukraine, Israel Amid Partisan Struggles Before Election

— Global Times Staff Reporters | December 06, 2023

Cartoon: Vitaly Podvitski

The US is entangled in deepened partisan divisions as it is running out of aid for Ukraine while facing growing international pressure on the escalating humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip after Israel renewed its offensive. Some experts said on Wednesday that as both wars continue, those crises will not only become a heavy financial burden on Washington but also serve as a tool for partisan struggles as the elections loom.

A classified briefing for senators on the White House's request for aid for Israel and Ukraine became "heated" on Tuesday local time, with Republican members storming out of the meeting, NBC News reported.

The briefing, led by the secretaries of defense and state, as well as the director of national intelligence and the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was held behind closed doors to allow all 100 senators to ask questions about the administration's funding request, according to the reports.

But it fell apart, senators from both parties said, after Republicans began asking about the US border. GOP members in both chambers have demanded serious changes to immigration policy to address rising migrant crossings in exchange for passing new aid for Ukraine, NBC News reported.

White House officials warned on Monday that the US is running out of time and money to help Ukraine, after the Biden administration urged Congress to approve the nearly $106 billion request for funds in October, with Chinese experts believing that this shows that the Ukraine issue has become a tool for domestic politicization in the US, and internal divisions in the country have intensified as the election approaches.

In a letter to House and Senate leaders and released publicly, Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young warned the US will run out of funding to send weapons and assistance to Ukraine by the end of this year, adding that this would "kneecap" Ukraine on the battlefield, the AP reported on Tuesday.

According to Reuters, US President Joe Biden's administration in October asked Congress for nearly $106 billion request for funds for the wars in Ukraine, Israel and other security needs, but Republicans who control the House with a slim majority rejected the package.

Some experts believe the main reason is that the Ukrainian issue has become a tool for internal political struggles in the US.

The US' support for Ukraine will not be as timely or generous as it has been in the past, and its aid will continue to decline, Li Haidong, a professor at the China Foreign Affairs University, told the Global Times on Wednesday. "The Ukrainian issue has become highly politicized within the US, which means that Republicans will use it as a favorable tool to weaken the Democratic Party during elections," he said.

Overwhelmed! Global Times, December 05, 2023, Illustration: Liu Rui

The election year in the US means that all domestic and foreign policy issues are decided based on whether they can benefit one's own party in the elections, rather than being viewed and handled based on the true nature of the matter, Li added. "It is a tragedy for Ukraine in this sense," the expert said.

As funding for Ukraine is running out, the US House of Representatives passed a Republican plan to provide $14.3 billion in aid to Israel in November, according to Reuters.

Biden's allies in Senate have demanded that Israel limit civilian deaths in Gaza, according to media reports, as Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders said on Tuesday that the Israeli government is waging an "immoral" war and it would be "absolutely irresponsible" to provide an additional $10.1 billion in unconditional military aid, which will allow the Netanyahu government to continue its current military approach.

Niu Xinchun, a research fellow at the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, told the Global Times on Wednesday that in the face of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine and the renewed Israel-Palestine conflict, the biggest challenge facing the US is not financial, but rather policy-related.

"The US is currently very passive on the Israeli-Palestinian issue, for on one hand it supports Israel in eliminating Hamas, and on the other hand it faces condemnation from the international public opinion, including within the Democratic Party, due to the humanitarian crisis," Niu said.

While voters remain largely focused on domestic issues and the economy, both wars have forced 2024 candidates to publicly navigate vexing questions about US foreign policy and military posture, with potential consequences to their support, according to media reports.

"With partisan struggles continuing, their divisions will deepen as the elections begin, and highly politicized issues will make it more difficult for the Biden administration to carry out its foreign policy," Li said.

[jovialbasementbouquetblr]

2023: Zheng Yongnian World Politics 2023

From Wikipedia (Chinese): Zheng Yongnien ( Chinese pinyin: Zhèng, Yǒngnián; Cheng, Yung-nien; former pseudonym: Mong Xiong; February1962- ) is a native of Yuyao, Zhejiang Province, and an expert on Chinese politics, international relations and social issues. He is the first Director and Chair Professor of the Institute of Advanced Studies in Global and Contemporary China at the Chinese University…

[ahz-associates]

University of Winchester

Overview of University of Winchester

A publicly funded, research-oriented educational institution is the University of Winchester. Despite being a brand-new university, Winchester has already become well-known for its top-notch offerings and dedication to the success of both its community and its students. Large-scale ideas can now be developed in a setting of academic independence, ensuring the future success of every student. The university's motto is "Wisdom and Knowledge," which is the same.

Rankings and Achievements

Ranked 106- Complete University Guide 2021

Ranked 92- Guardian 2021

Ranked 98- Times / Sunday Times 2021

For Innovation and Engagement achieved Green Impact National Award (Marshall Rose Library) 2016

Green Impact Gold Award – Winchester City Council scheme 2018

82% of Winchester’s research was considered to be recognized internationally in the most recent Research Excellence Framework (REF 2014).

NSS 2021 Rank-117

Impact Ranking- 301–400th

The Guardian-107

History of University of Winchester

In 1840, the University of Winchester originally began its history. In the beginning, the Winchester Diocesan Training School was formed by the Church of England to train primary school teachers. Following that, the institute underwent a lot of modifications. It was renamed Winchester Training College in 1847, and by 1862, it had purchased a brand-new home on Cathedrals' property known as University's Alfred Quarter. We currently refer to this structure as the Winton Building. King Alfred's College was the name of the institution from 1928 to 2003. The college began to offer a lot of new degrees during this time. The Quality Assurance Agency (QAA), which recognised the level and calibre of the institutions' curriculum in 2003, changed the name of the institution to University College Winchester in 2004.

After achieving full university status in 2005, the institution changed its name to the University of Winchester. In 2008, the institution was granted Research degree issuing authority by the Privy Council. Only 10 students attended the institute in 1840, but today it proudly serves 8,000 students.

Faculties at University of Winchester

Faculty of Arts

Faculty of Business, Law and Digital Technologies

Faculty of Health and Wellbeing

Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences

Degree apprenticeships

Breakdown of fee structure

The international fee range starts from £11,600

Scholarships at University of Winchester

Vice chancellor’s scholarship (international)

International taught masters scholarship

International students scholarship

External scholarships – Undergraduate

Helena Kennedy Foundation – The HKF Award

Chevening Scholarships

Commonwealth Scholarships For Masters And Ph.d. Study – Developing Commonwealth Country Citizens Euraxess UK

Aga Khan Foundation Scholarship Programme

The Beit Trust Scholarships

Great Britain-china Educational Trust

The Charles Wallace India Trust

The Charles Wallace Pakistan Trust

Fulbright Commission – All-disciplines (Open) Postgraduate Award And So On

Facilities and Services

With the required facilities, the University of Winchester provides high-quality services. Students can use everything, including the contemporary library, the gym, and the sports facilities. Among the services offered by the university:

Wellbeing

Student Life Advice

Disability and learning diversity

Health and medical advice

Academic skills related guidelines

International student support

Information for needs assessors

Students and money

Scholarships, bursaries, and awards

Registration and induction

Parent and student looking through a prospectus booklet

Information for parents and careers

University of Winchester Music Centre

Student life

Every domestic and international student is treated equally in Winchester's welcoming environment. With several supports and instructions, students can begin to enjoy their time here right away. Here, the Student Union has a significant impact. It can be found inside the University Centre. The University Centre venue's 550 spaces include bars, a movie theatre, and other amenities. The Winchester Students Union manages a variety of organisations, shops, sports, and organises various programmes and events. The Union is continually working to help students and inspire them to express their ideas and abilities. It operates a variety of student media. Additionally, Winchester is a fantastic city. The city was named "The Best Place to Live" by The Sunday Times in 2016, and it placed higher in the 2019 Royal Mail Happiness Index. Students may simply go from school to the city's major attractions and take in the scenery.

Living Accommodation

The student housing programme at the University of Winchester excels and enjoys a solid reputation. There are both off-campus and on-campus housing options. Strong security is provided by each hall, along with spacious rooms that are well-furnished with WIFI, telephones, laundry facilities, and other amenities. From several of the halls, students may take in the breath taking vistas. The facilities are:

West Downs Student Village

Alwyn Hall

St Elizabeth’s Hall

Beech Glade

Queens Road Student Village

Burma Road Student Village

According to the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey, Winchester was placed 15th out of 116 universities in 2018 for the calibre of its housing options. Additionally, it came in at number 10 on The Student Crowd's list of the best UK universities for housing in 2018.

Transport

Students' trips are now simple thanks to the University of Winchester. For both staff and students, it ensures a green transportation system. Additionally, local transportation can be discounted for them. There are places for students to store their bicycles, service them, and receive discounts with their university ID cards. The college is only ten minutes from the rail station, and local buses are conveniently located nearby. Regular users of these services, such as faculty and employees, can take advantage of substantial ticket reductions. The institution also maintains a Winchester automobile club and offers great facilities including car sharing, an electric vehicle charging station, and green transportation loans.

[mariacallous]

When Peking University in Beijing harshly cracked down on student activists in 2018, educators around the world watched with alarm. Yet one year later, the Chinese institution was welcoming a high-profile guest—Martha Pollack, the president of Cornell University—and by 2021, the two partners were proposing a flashy dual-degree program.

Back in Ithaca, New York, the proposal met fierce backlash. Cornell’s Faculty Senate overwhelmingly opposed the partnership in a vote, citing concerns of academic freedom and transparency; many students decried Beijing’s human rights violations and mass detention of Uyghurs.

“It became very clear that from the students’ standpoint, from the faculty standpoint, there was no interest in expanding the relationship” in this way without more rigorous ethical oversight, said Eli Friedman, a professor at Cornell. “And they did it anyway.”

Tucked away between gorges and hiking trails in the depths of upstate New York, talk of great-power competition can feel far from Cornell’s campus. But it’s in this isolated environment—and I know it well, having studied there myself—that debates over partnerships with China have sharply unfolded, underscoring how deteriorating U.S.-China relations have swept American universities into a geopolitical firestorm. 

For decades, universities have facilitated exchanges between American and Chinese scholars that have been essential to creating more nuanced understandings of each country and advancing research. But even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Beijing’s growing repression had complicated their calculus. As the U.S.-China relationship continues to devolve, universities are confronting thorny questions about academic freedom, censorship, and research security—and debating what types of partnerships can, and should, be pursued in the current climate. 

“I think a lot of university administrators have delayed hard decisions about collaborations because they hoped that maybe things would get better” under the Biden administration or with China’s reopening, said Mary Gallagher, the director of the International Institute at the University of Michigan. “Those things don’t seem to be happening. I think this is only going to get more difficult for American universities,” she added. 

Universities are facing a “fundamental dilemma,” said Jacques deLisle, the director of the University of Pennsylvania’s Center for the Study of Contemporary China. On one hand, he said, it is important to cultivate open academic exchanges and strengthen understanding. On the other hand, he said, there is an understandable—and compelling—argument against allowing partners abiding by different values or standards to dictate content in joint programs.

Washington’s increasingly hawkish posture toward China has only added to these pressures, with one key example being the Trump administration’s now-defunct China Initiative, a program that was designed to crack down on IP theft but ultimately created a chilling effect among Asian American researchers. Some politicians are pushing universities to go even further in severing academic ties. Last month, Ohio lawmakers introduced a bill that would ban academic or financial exchanges with Chinese universities—including research funding and study abroad programs. Texas lawmakers have proposed a bill that would prohibit public universities from admitting Chinese citizens. 

If these exchanges collapse, experts warn that the academic and research fields won’t be the only ones that suffer the losses in talent. As China comes to dominate U.S. political discourse, disengaging at the university level could also come at a geopolitical cost. 

There are concerns “that the next generation of China specialists is not getting the kind of access, exposure, [or] on-the-ground familiarity that earlier generations had,” deLisle said. “That’s going to both reduce channels for communication and create greater barriers to acquiring the kind of nuanced expertise that I think has been a benevolent factor in managing U.S.-China relations.” 

It’s not just American students, universities, and expertise at risk. “Both sides lose,” said Denis Simon, the former executive vice chancellor of Duke Kunshan University in Kunshan, China. “This is a lose-lose proposition right now.”

Among universities, there has been a growing wariness of continuing or expanding academic partnerships in China, particularly in sensitive fields. “A lot of universities have taken the posture [that] maybe we ought to put our China activity on the back burner” and look to other countries with friendlier government relations, Simon said. “The souring of the relationship has put a cloud over collaboration.”

While these debates flare on campuses, university administrators have also been grappling with how best to navigate the increasingly delicate political landscape. At George Washington University, for example, administrators struggled to respond to posters depicting the Chinese government’s human rights abuses ahead of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. In another instance, the FBI arrested a Chinese student at the Berklee College of Music who stalked and harassed a peer for supporting the pro-democracy movement in China.

In one of the most explosive cases, Cornell ended its relationship with Renmin University in Beijing after Cornell students participating in an exchange program were reportedly detained and surveilled after protesting for workers’ rights in 2018. The case was “so egregious,” said Friedman, who was involved in the program and, at the time, wrote an article in Foreign Policy chronicling his experience. 

“It is critically important to view this event in the context of worsening political trends in China,” he wrote. “The erosion of academic freedom on campuses is directly linked with the increasingly repressive political environment outside universities.”

“Cornell University is a nonprofit institution with a mission to educate the next generation of global citizens,” Wendy Wolford, Cornell’s vice provost for international affairs, said in an emailed statement. “We engage across the world, including in China, to carry forward this mission. We do not partner with governments, we partner with people and programs.” 

Facing Beijing’s stringent COVID-19 restrictions and worsening relations, only 382 American students studied abroad in China in the 2020-2021 school year, with most of them at NYU Shanghai, said Jeffrey Lehman, the vice chancellor of NYU Shanghai. Compared to many other American university partnerships, NYU Shanghai is an established giant, bringing some 2,000 American and Chinese students together as the first Sino-U.S. research university. The university is not shying away from its Chinese presence, recently unveiling its sleek New Bund campus in Shanghai after three years of construction. 

“The worsening China-U.S. relationship is something we talk about all the time,” Lehman said in an emailed statement. “Both governments have told us that, during these times of tension, they find it more important than ever to have a school where college students can forge the kind of cross-national bonds that we are renowned for.”

Duke Kunshan University, a joint venture between Wuhan University and Duke University, is navigating similar waters. Simon said that its continued success will hinge on three factors: the preservation of academic freedom, whether the university can survive financially, and the stability of bilateral relations. 

“It’s a constant struggle to keep the thing running, because the Chinese political system and the American political system are not well aligned with one another,” he added. “Because they don’t align well with one another, they make managing a project like this very difficult.”

Even as the landscape becomes increasingly difficult to navigate, William Kirby, a professor of China studies at Harvard University, said that if American universities disengage from their Chinese counterparts, they will suffer in the long run.

“Any university system that is not collaborating with a great and still expanding Chinese university system, which is one of the absolute leaders in the realm of research, will find itself at a very significant disadvantage,” he said. “And any university that is not trying to recruit the best possible talent from wherever it comes, from anywhere in the world, is doing itself a disservice and is on a glide path to decline.”

[dy-patil-university-navi-mumbai]

Exploring Various Bachelor's Degrees in Foreign Languages

In today's globalized world, proficiency in foreign languages is a significant asset. Whether it's for cultural understanding, travel, or career advancement, mastering a new language can open doors to countless opportunities. Among the most sought-after languages are German, Spanish and Chinese. Pursuing a Bachelor's degree in these languages not only equips students with linguistic skills but also immerses them in the rich cultural tapestries of these nations.

The Value of a BA in German Language

A Bachelor of Arts (BA) in German Language is an excellent choice for students interested in exploring Germany's influential culture, history and economic prowess. Germany is known for its contributions to literature, philosophy and the sciences, making it a fascinating subject of study. A BA in German typically covers comprehensive language training, literature studies and insights into Germany's role in the European Union and global affairs.

Career Prospects:

Graduates with a BA in German Language can pursue careers in international business, translation, diplomacy and education. Germany's strong economy and its position as a leading exporter make German language skills highly valuable in global trade and commerce.

The Advantages of a Bachelor's Degree in Spanish

Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with over 460 million native speakers. A Bachelor's degree in Spanish offers students an in-depth understanding of the language, as well as the diverse cultures and histories of Spanish-speaking countries.

Cultural Immersion:

Programs typically include studies of Spanish literature, history and art. Students often have opportunities to study abroad in Spanish-speaking countries, enhancing their linguistic proficiency and cultural awareness.

Career Opportunities:

Fluency in Spanish opens doors to careers in international relations, tourism, media and education. The growing Hispanic population in many countries also increases the demand for Spanish language skills in various sectors, including healthcare and social services.

The Significance of a BA in Chinese

China's rising global influence makes the Chinese language an invaluable asset. A BA in Chinese provides students with comprehensive training in Mandarin, the most spoken language in the world. This degree often includes studies of Chinese history, literature and contemporary society.

Economic Importance:

China is a major player in international trade and business. Proficiency in Chinese is particularly beneficial for careers in international business, diplomacy and trade. Understanding Chinese culture and language is crucial for navigating and succeeding in the complex Chinese market.

Educational Enrichment:

Studying Chinese also allows students to engage with China's rich cultural heritage, from ancient philosophies and historical texts to modern literature and cinema. Many programs offer exchange opportunities, enabling students to experience China's vibrant culture firsthand.

Why Choose D.Y. Patil University (DYPU) for Your Language Degree

When it comes to pursuing a BA in German, Spanish, or Chinese, D.Y. Patil University (DYPU) stands out as a premier institution. DYPU offers robust programs in foreign languages that combine linguistic proficiency with cultural immersion. Here’s why DYPU is an excellent choice:

Expert Faculty:

DYPU's faculty members are seasoned educators and experts in their respective fields, providing high-quality education and personalized mentorship.

Global Opportunities:

The university foster's international collaborations and offers exchange programs with prestigious institutions worldwide. This ensures that students gain real-world experience and a global perspective.

State-of-the-Art Campus:

Located in Mumbai, DYPU boasts a modern campus with advanced facilities, creating an ideal learning environment.

Comprehensive Curriculum:

DYPU’s curriculum is designed to provide a holistic education, blending language studies with cultural, historical and contemporary insights.

Placement Success:

DYPU graduates are well-prepared for diverse career paths, thanks to the university’s strong industry connections and emphasis on practical skills.

Embark on a journey of linguistic and cultural discovery with a BA in German, Spanish, or Chinese at DYPU. Equip yourself with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in an interconnected world.

By choosing DYPU, you're not just earning a degree; you're opening doors to a future filled with endless possibilities.

[southeastasianists]

It was 22 years ago this month when racial violence against Chinese Indonesians broke out in Indonesia. Amid the violence, over 1,000 died and thousands were more bankrupted or fled the country.

People who had not been born then – Generation Z or Gen-Zers — are highly aware of this side of history despite having no direct experience with the event. Supported by their tech savviness and influenced by global movements, young Chinese Indonesians are forming new social alliances and building their own narratives.

They no longer only see race as their sole identity. They are becoming more and more critical of intersectional identity, incorporating class, privilege, gender, and sexual orientation.

Older conversations about racism and discrimination against Chinese Indonesians tend to avoid the class issue, mainly because of the prevalent stereotype that all Chinese Indonesians are wealthy.

But to make the case of their own discrimination, young Chinese Indonesians today will have to break the taboo and talk about class and privilege, researchers say. To beat the ghost, don’t run away; run towards it.

After the fall of Indonesia’s first president Sukarno and his leftist allies, right-wing Chinese Indonesians moved closer to General Suharto, who rose to power following the 1965 communist purge. Suharto then utilized Chinese Indonesian businesses to execute his economic development programs, while actively distinguishing their ethnicity from the so-called “native Indonesians,” or pribumis.

The businesses grew into conglomerations — the likes of Salim Group, Astra International, the Sinar Mas Group, Gudang Garam, Sampoerna and the Lippo Group — all owned by ethnic Chinese entrepreneurs.

Indonesia’s economy grew, but inequality deepened.

When the economic crisis hit in 1998, food shortages and mass unemployment triggered riots that targeted ethnic Chinese throughout Indonesia, mainly in Medan, Jakarta, and Solo. Property and businesses were looted and burned with men, women and children still inside, while over a hundred of women were raped and thrown into the fires. Casualties included both Chinese and non-Chinese.

The memories are painful. Outside of Indonesia, there have been efforts to preserve these memories through art, such as Rani Pramesti’s Chinese Whispers graphic novel, performance, and installations in Australia. Back home, the whispers are far more quiet.

The Diplomat spoke to about a dozen Chinese Indonesians between the ages of 16 and 22 years old in Indonesia, and found that they were aware of the events of May 1998. They, too, felt the sting when stories were passed down in a hushed manner by parents and teachers.

When asked about what to do about the unresolved cases, they are divided. Some strongly believed in pressuring the government for justice; others took a more pessimistic view.

Today, the middle class and the wealthy Chinese Indonesians living in the cities remain segregated. They live in different neighborhoods and go to different schools from the so-called pribumis. They have limited interaction with people outside of their own ethnicity.

Some still experience being called “Cina” (Chinese), a derogatory racist term. Many understand that they belong to a different ethnicity and class than most Indonesians, but are unsure what to do with that knowledge. They do not speak Mandarin and feel out of touch with their ancestors’ culture.

At the highest level, wealthy Chinese Indonesian business elite are again assisting President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s ambition to attract investments and build infrastructure. The conglomerates formed during the Suharto era are alive and well. They remain at the top and are positioning themselves as “the bridge” in contemporary Indonesia-China relations.

As the result, Jokowi’s administration has forged closer ties with Xi Jinping’s China, which the president’s critics claim is giving more advantages to Chinese investors and businesses.

“Those outside of this exclusive group (of business elite) have expressed discontent over the direction of Chinese Indonesian identity politics, and these internal divisions may widen even further in the future,” Indonesian scholar Charlotte Setijadi wrote in a 2016 research paper.

Now with Gen Z in the picture, it does not seem that younger Chinese Indonesians would, or should, stay passive and let their identity be directed by a handful of their older, wealthy counterparts — again.

Thung Ju Lan, a researcher at Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), pointed out that the main gap in Indonesian society now is less about race than it is about class.

“If you compare with the politics in the ‘60s, today’s gap is no longer a divide between the Chinese and the non-Chinese, but between social classes. The wealthy are friends with each other regardless of race; they hang out together in Singapore and whatnot,” Thung said.

Human rights groups have strongly criticized Jokowi’s administration as favoring large businesses — Chinese owned or not — over the people’s welfare.

Hoon Chang Yau, researcher at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, affirmed this view. He said if the average young Indonesian of any ethnicity were to learn anything from the New Order era, it’s that conversations about race and ethnicity must include rejections of economic inequality and of the oppression of other minorities.

“If we want to talk about race, we cannot pretend there is no class issue, because actually a lot of problems are rooted in socioeconomic problems,” he said.

A growing number of Gen-Zers are starting to realize this. Not only they are critical of discrimination they face themselves, but they are also building solidarity with people from other intersections of marginalization.

Kai Mata, 23, is a Chinese Indonesian who has been generating media buzz lately for being the first openly gay musician in Indonesia. In 1998, along with her parents she left Indonesia as a baby for the United States. She came back to Indonesia at 13 years old.

Kai uses music and social media to promote acceptance of gayness. Her Instagram and Twitter accounts are adorned by rainbows. When it comes to her ethnicity, she said she never fully understood it while growing up. When she asked around about the May 1998 riots, she received an underwhelming response.

“A lot of Chinese Indonesians survive in the past because they are quiet and stayed hidden, and a lot of them still moved forward with that rather than speaking up, and we don’t raise our voices for the people in the past that have died,” Kai said.

“From that aspect I think that’s why I’m quite vocal about all aspects of me being Indonesian,” Kai added.

Kevin Ng, 20, coordinates the Aksi Kamisan protest in Perth, Australia, while being a student. Kamisan is a silent protest held every Thursday urging the government to resolve cases of past human rights abuses.

Active in various youth and nonprofit organizations, Ng believed that the issues of class, racism and discrimination cannot be separated from one another.

“Class struggles is one of the factors creating that (social) friction… Our main enemy right now is capitalism, where Chinese Indonesians are not the only capitalists,” Ng said.

Meanwhile, Jesslyn Tan, 18, busies herself in womens empowerment activism and theater. For her, the most important thing is to start over and build up her heritage again, starting from her generation.

Moving forward, the responsibility for the future is with both sides, Hoon said.

Hoon strongly recommended the education sector be activated to promote multicultural citizenship.

He also pointed at the gaps. While Islamic boarding schools, or pesantren, are scrutinized and expected to foster tolerant teachings, little attention is paid to expensive, private Christian schools.

“They (Christian schools) seem to want Indonesia only for the privilege. They don’t see poverty, they are blinded to differences. They think Indonesia is heaven because they go to Singapore, Bali, and Australia. So (the kids) are being prepared for cosmopolitan lifestyle, and that’s problematic because it doesn’t match the reality of Indonesia,” Hoon said.

To give the past any meaning, young Chinese Indonesians must stand with their non-ethnic Chinese friends, the underprivileged, and all other minorities, and set the course of their own journey. Only then will walls and boxes disappear.

[shaxesaadiwrites]

This Blog is about Human Trafficking in Pakistan.

Human trafficking has been one of the most acute dilemmas facing contemporary society, which has evolved to take on different forms through time. As per a research by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Walk Free Foundation, the number of victims of modern slavery today is approximated to be 40 million. Globally, the human trafficking has been incentivised by the profit margins brought about by this trade, which stand at a drastic figure of USD 150 billion. Pakistan is a developing country that has been a prey to this trade, owing to the rife poverty, lack of resources for the public and failure of the government to take action against such inhumane practices discussed below. Women and children are among the biggest victims of human trafficking in Pakistan for different avenues.

The institution of human trafficking has largely served to violate the human rights of the victims, and oppress them with no voice to retaliate. The poor and marginalised communities in the rural areas of Pakistan have been the biggest target for these illegal gangs responsible for kidnapping children, raping and sexually assaulting women, selling women for prostitution as sex slaves among other heinous crimes. Sexual slavery and women trafficking have been rampant through time globally, with far-reaching claws that have extended into Pakistan as well.

Women are exploited through forced marriages, sexual abuse and physical violence. Poverty has forced a multitude of women into marrying for money, without their consent, as a means of feeding their poor families while some are sold as repayments of debts in rural areas. Women are traded between different tribal groups as forms of payment and to settle disputes, while girls are sold by their parents into forced marriages, domestic servitude, and prostitution.

Human trafficking in Pakistan takes its worst toll in the shape of children being bought, sold, kidnapped for working in begging rings, domestic servitude and prostitution. Children of all ages are trafficked to be exploited sexually in other countries, while others are forced to work for illegal begging and trafficking rings. Babies are sold to childless couples or couples seeking out a bride for their sons, while girls from Bangladesh, Burma, and other regions of South Asia are trafficked into Pakistan for sale.

A large proportion of child trafficking has been to UAE, where children are sold as camel jockeys and tied to camels during races for pleasure. Children are kidnapped from impoverished areas, and after being subjected to physical abuse, they are forced to beg in the streets for money. Beggary constitutes a significant demand for kidnapped and smuggled children in Pakistan. Other children are kidnapped for the organ harvesting trade, where their organs like kidneys are removed and sold to those needing body parts for high prices.

According to a newspaper report, the cases involving women and children trafficked numbered 20000, with women and girls constituting a major chunk of the trafficked – 80 percent of the trafficked victims with more than 60 percent of those coming from Asia, as per the same report. According to Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency, the largest number of traffickers operate in Punjab, ranging from 30 to 35 traffickers. In 2012, 40 officials were under investigation, one was dismissed, and 33 were punished for complicity in human trafficking.

There has been a notable increase in the number of victims across Pakistan, where women and children from the impoverished and underprivileged areas of Pakistan, are sold to different illicit avenues from the ‘bacha bazars’ in neighbouring Afghanistan to prostitution rings and brothels operating in China. The provincial police underlined an increase in 303 victims of human trafficking since 2017, with an estimated 2697 reports of trafficked victims currently pending. The major plight of human trafficking comes in the form of children being smuggled to neighbouring areas both inside and outside Pakistan.

According to a recently-published report by the Asian Human Rights Commission, Punjab is native to approximately 20000 children who are suffering from microcephaly and being sent to servitude as forced beggars. The illicit trade of human trafficking in Pakistan stands as a lucrative business with a yearly valuation of $30billion.

All forms of human trafficking in Pakistan can be largely attributed to poverty and lack of education, which has fuelled its unprecedented growth in the recent years. According to the Global Slavery Index, 38.8 percent of Pakistan’s families live below the poverty line, currently standing at a figure of 3186000, with one in four individuals living in acute poverty. With the annual per capita household income in Pakistan at 650.644 USD, the rate of inflation has an upward slope at a rate of 5 percent. Under these circumstances, survival becomes very difficult for poor families who are forced to send children, from young ages, to work, setting them on the path to exploitation and trafficking.

Due to poverty, these poor families cannot afford to file lawsuits for their kidnapped or misplaced family members, further exacerbated by the fact that local authorities often work in conjunction with trafficking rings. The lack of money has led to an imbalance of power, leaving the poor with no capacity to voice their concerns, while these illegal activities continue to enhance their scale of operations.

The growth in these illegal activities can also be attributed to the high illiteracy rate in Pakistan. Being ranked 16th in the list of countries with the lowest literacy rate, Pakistan has an education system which only accommodates one third of the nation’s child population. Low literacy rate has led to a lack of awareness about issues related to high population growth, and thus developing countries like Pakistan are faced with an ever-increasing burden on their meagre resources. The economic growth in Pakistan has been stalled due to rife poverty as lack of education among the workforce has failed to create new jobs, which leads to workers being exploited at the hands of their employers.

Given the magnitude of human trafficking in Pakistan, there is a dire need to address the dilemma of human trafficking in Pakistan. The government should start by conducting comprehensive surveys to decipher the magnitude of trafficking in all its forms. Without a realisation of its scale, it is not possible to devise an actionable plan. The provincial governments, in conjunction with the national government should set up vocational and educational schemes to empower the poor families by imparting vocational skills to them. Simultaneously, rehabilitation programs should be set up for the victims of human trafficking as well as a national fund should be maintained to provide an alternative source of income for these poor families who are forced to sell their children and women for money.

Societal uplifting schemes should be initiated by the government, which collaborate with NGOs to raise awareness about the issue of human trafficking and help in exposing locally operating gangs. To curb human trafficking, there needs to be a check and balance on the law and order maintaining bodies like the police to prevent them from working hand-in-hand with prostitution rings. Special prosecutors should be designated to hear trafficking cases, while government officials should be trained on distinguishing between human trafficking and migrant smuggling.

Further, social protection schemes must be extended to the informal sector, coupled with cash transfer schemes, public employment programs, health protection and micro finance initiatives. Governments must undertake training for law enforcement and labour officials from national to local level, on the identification of human traffickers and the implementation of laws criminalising such activities at large. The Chinese government should collaborate with Pakistan in apprehending the illegal Chinese immigrant gangs trafficking local women through marriages to China.

PM Khan holds federal cabinet meeting today

Lastly, the Pakistani government should work in collaboration with the stakeholders involved in bonded labour eradication including all involved government departments, NGOs, businesses and civil society, international donors and organisations, along with UN specialised agencies like the ILO, to counter the growing curse of child and women trafficking. A dire problem in essence, slavery, continues to threaten the global community at large. To curb this problem, the global community should present a united front to the dilemma by working in tandem with international bodies like the UN, ILO and international governments on a grassroots level and devising a plan for every member of the pact to follow.

[xtruss]

From Arctic to Indian Ocean: Global Transformations Boost SCO Growth

© Sputnik/Zafar Khalilov/Go to the Mediabank

The number of applications for membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is growing, which makes it possible for the entity to expand its global outreach, said Alexander Knyazev, head of the regional branch of the Moscow-based CIS Institute think tank.

The global system of international relations has been undergoing transformation, opening the door to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization's (SCO) rise as a global actor, according to Alexander Knyazev.

On July 4, the Islamic Republic of Iran became a full-fledged SCO member. It is expected that Belarus will gain this status in 2024. Prior to Iran's accession, the organization consisted of eight permanent members, namely, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan; and nine dialogue partners – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkiye, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

According to Bakhtiyor Khakimov, special representative of the president of the Russian Federation for SCO affairs, the number of applications to join the SCO is growing.

"The objective conditions for turning [the SCO] into an effective organization, whose influence would go far beyond the territory of its member countries, currently exist," Knyazev told Sputnik. "Everything depends, first of all, on the political will of the leadership of these countries. (…) The number of participating countries and an even wider range of countries wishing to join, or having the status of an observer country, dialogue partner, simply striving to be involved in the SCO, all this quantitative content brings the organization closer to the need to determine its qualitative characteristics."

Iran Joins SCO: A Political Signal to the West! In a move that has caught attention of global observers, Iran has officially joined the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian political, economic, and security organization, as announced in the New Delhi Declaration of the SCO Heads of State Council on Tuesday, July 4th, 2023.

"The first reason is political. Although the SCO is positioned as an economic organization, it operates with a multipolar approach," the expert explained.

"Iran's accession to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, a significant and expanding alliance that is gaining strength on the global political stage and will undoubtedly have a growing influence on international politics, sends a political message to the West and the United States," Shoaib Bahman, head of the Institute for Strategic Researchers in the Contemporary World (Tehran) and an Iranian expert on Russian and Eurasian affairs, told Sputnik.

"The economic and political potential of the SCO members is considerable, and with Iran's membership, it will only increase. Iran's inclusion in the SCO offers good prospects for strengthening the organization's security and enhancing cultural ties within it," the expert said.

Mojtaba Jelalzadeh, an Iranian expert on international politics, expressed his views on Iran's entry into the SCO, saying that it carries important messages for both the region and the world.

"The first message is that the Islamic Republic's policy is oriented toward the East, with the Western vector significantly diminished compared to the not-so-distant past," he told Sputnik.

"Second, strengthening trade and economic ties within the SCO framework will allow the Islamic Republic to find effective ways to bypass American sanctions," he added.

"Finally, with Iran’s membership in the SCO, the organization will gain another regional power, thus continuing the struggle against a unipolar world," Jelalzadeh concluded.

— Tuesday July 4th, 2023

In this sense, Iran's admission has brought a new dimension to the organization given the Islamic Republic's role in the broad Eurasian region from the Middle East to the Pacific coast, as well as its strong positions in Africa and influence in a number of Latin American countries, according to Knyazev.

He highlighted that Iran's participation in the SCO could have a considerable impact on further processes within the entity. It could enrich the SCO's activities in terms of ensuring security in a wide region from the Indian Ocean to the Arctic, and from southeast Europe to Southeast Asia, as per the expert. He particularly referred to the Iranian, Russian and Chinese joint naval exercises in the Gulf of Oman and in the surrounding waters, which began in December 2019 and have already turned into a regular event.

"Iran is an interesting example of how a country, until recently qualified as a regional power, is moving steadily towards claiming the status of a great power," the scholar said. "Today, a huge number of international processes cannot undergo without Iran's participation, since either its direct influence on these processes or the potential for such influence are obvious. Iran plays an extremely important role in the processes taking place in the Middle East, the Caucasus, the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean basin, less, but significantly - in the Mediterranean (...) Although the country suffers serious damage from Western sanctions, it has shown over years that it can be self-sufficient, and this self-sufficiency, in turn, provides an absolutely independent position in world politics."

SCO Emerging as Cornerstone of New Multipolar World!

"In general, today, even without the inclusion of new players in the SCO, [the organization] has already become the most important structure of the world order, of a multifaceted multipolar world," Dr. Stanislav Pritchin, a senior research fellow at the Center for Post-Soviet Studies at the Institute of World Economy and International Relations told Sputnik. "In my opinion, there is a huge potential for creating financial infrastructure, because we all see how the dependence on Western international financial organizations, infrastructure, and the exchange of banking information affects the cooperation of states even within the SCO. (…) We need to create our own infrastructure, our own reserve currencies, regional ones, and create opportunities for trade, regardless of external players. And in this regard, the potential of the SCO, of course, is huge, taking into account the economic potential of China, India, and Russia's other partners."

"When it comes to Iran's accession to the SCO, the crux of the matter is that Iran has long wanted to join the organization, and only now it has happened," continued Pritchin. "This is a direct consequence of both Russia's special military operation [in Ukraine] and the serious deterioration of US-Chinese relations. Now the countries of the region, the SCO member states, in principle, make decisions without regard for the position and opinion of Western countries. And this shows the subjectivity and independence of this organization. From the point of view of the SCO's potential, the involvement of Iran is a very important development, because a major power of 80 million people is a serious player in the field of security, our partner in [the International North–South Transport Corridor (INSTC)], in the security system in the Caspian Sea, an important economic partner. In this vein, of course, Iran's accession is a very important stage in the expansion and strengthening of the SCO, its military and economic potential."

"However, the fact that there are three SCO members among the top ten economies – China, India and Russia – and a whole cohort of other major powers with significant contributions to GDP on the world stage [is of utmost importance]. We see that in terms of economic weight, political weight, [the SCO] is the most representative organization in Eurasia. And this is the largest organization in the world in terms of geographical presence and economic presence in terms of the composition of the population of the participants in this organization," Pritchin concluded.

Will SCO Become New United Nations for Non-Western World? The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), a Eurasian political, economic, and security bloc founded in 2001, has great potential to become a United Nations for the non-Western world, according to Robinder Sachdev, geopolitical and economic diplomacy analyst and founder president of the Imagindia Institute.

"If the SCO wants to make a meaningful impact worldwide, then the boldest path is for it to transform itself into a new-age global organization," Robinder Sachdev told Sputnik India. "The SCO has the historic opportunity to become the modern, ideal, mini-United Nations of Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Such a globalized SCO can have membership of non-USA, non-European nations, with doors later also open for Western nations to join. Patterned by the UN, the norms and practices of the SCO should be equitable, democratic, and will be based on the reality of the 21st century."

Currently, the organization consists of eight permanent members, namely, China, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan; and nine dialogue partners – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkiye, Egypt, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia.

"Iran’s accession to the SCO is certainly a welcome step," said Sachdev. "It will help the SCO block countries to better address issues of connectivity and trade, and regional development in general. It is a good opportunity for Iran to counter Western pressure, avoid isolation, and engage with its regional partners." "[Iran] needs to use its transit potential to generate revenues and also decrease its dependence on hydrocarbon exports," Sharma told Sputnik. "Iran can earn up to 20 billion dollars if it can use its potential as a transit for trade corridors. The Iran and Saudi deal has paved the way for fewer tensions between these arch rivals. Iran enjoys good relations with SCO countries which is one of the reasons why it wanted to join the SCO."

The SCO is at a very important, but still transitory stage, of its development, when its significance can only be assessed hypothetically, according to Knyazev. Different countries still have different expectations from the SCO, which just emphasizes that full certainty has not yet been achieved, he believes.

"I think that the ongoing global transformation of the entire world system of international relations should become a catalyst for self determination of the SCO. And it cannot be ruled out that from some point, the SCO will be perceived not as a regional structure, but as a significant world actor," the scholar concluded.

— Ekaterina Blinova, Sputnik international, Tuesday July 4th, 2023