The Changing Identity of China in Global Governance and International Institutions

As global issues become more prominent and complex, various actors in the international community are strengthening global governance through systems of international cooperation. Different international actors have different identities, responsibilities and roles in international institutions due to their comprehensive strengths. They are roughly divided into three types: followers, supporters and leaders. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, its process of participation in international institutions and global governance has been obviously staged.In recent years, China has actively participated in various major international activities and carried out a series of diplomatic activities at home, which further demonstrates its involvement from a single participant to both a leader and a participant. In the existing traditional, modified and innovative international institutions, China is essentially playing a dual role, namely the roles of participant and supporter, the supporter and reformer, and the supporter and leader.

Challenges of the Performance Standards of the International Finance Corporation in Financing the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network and the Way Forward: The Case of Standard Gauge Railway in Tanzania

Financing of the African Integrated High-Speed Railway Network (AIHSRN) through Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) Projects is very expensive. As a result, most of the African countries seek financial supports from the International Financial Institutions (IFIs). However, conditions provided by the IFIs through the Performance Standards (PS) of the International Financial Corporation (IFC) increase cost of the projects and thus, it becomes a burden to most of the African countries. This study aimed to explore the causes of IFC-PS through the SGR Projects that escalate costs and how to address them. The Tanzania SGR Lot 1 Project that covered 205 km from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro was selected as a case study. The methods used for data collection involved literature review, focus group discussions and interviews. The results and findings show a gap between the IFC-PS and the National Laws and Regulations that escalates costs of the projects if funds from the IFIs were to be secured. To bridge the gap, it is recommended that the African countries should engage into negotiations with the IFIs to agree to waive IFC-PS conditions that escalate costs provided they are adequately covered in the national laws and regulations;engagement of locally established national and regional financial institutions;and the responsible government institutions in the African countries should sit together for assessment and review of the IFC-PS against the national laws and regulations.

Capitalism, Internationalism, and Socialism in Times of Globalization

This paper will mention Marxist propositions, presented since the mid-19th century, about capitalism, socialism, and internationalism. According to Marx, socialism would replace capitalism and internationalism would occur through the dissolution of nation states. Later, Marxist circles presented a historical arrow in the form of 〉 capitalism 〉 socialism 〉 internationalism. Taking into account recent steps of globalization and measures imposed by national governments in the face of the deep financial crisis of 2008, it is interesting to compare the above theory with some historical events that have happened since the 19th century. Much has happened that Marx did not predict. Considering the world trajectory since the Second World War, it seems that the historical arrow has the form of 〉 capitalism 〉 internationalism 〉 hybridism of capitalism and socialism 〉？

On the 2002 U. S. Mid-Term Election Zhang Yanyu and Wang Wenfeng are both assistant research professors at the Division for American Studies in China Institute of Contemporary International Relations

The first mid-term election of the U. S. in the new century took place on November 5, 2002. One third of the senators from the 107th Congress (34 out of 100), all representatives (435), 36 state governors, and numerous local officials and legislators were to be elected or reelected. The resounding victory of the GOP in the congressional elections and the fact that the Democrats only got three more.

THE 47TH ANNUAL ASSEMBLY THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE OF WELDING

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Progress of International Cooperation Between RIPED and Foreign Institute

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Institute of Neuroscience Receives International Acclaim

The work of principal investigators （PIs） at the Institute of Neuroscience （ION） under the CAS Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences was applauded by an international evaluation panel that convened on June 9 and 10 at ION.

公共卫生机构资源管理平台建设与发展

在公共卫生体系建设中,公共卫生资源是推进其发展的根本来源和基本保障。研究结合全面预算管理和内控管理制度等要求,基于公共卫生机构政府资源规划(government resource planning,GRP)平台建设经验,梳理针对人、财、物等公共卫生资源管理的现状和遇到的问题,探索借助信息化手段构建和管理公共卫生机构资源管理平台,为今后推进公共卫生机构资源管理信息化建设提供参考。

Partners, Institutions and International Currencies： The International Political Foundations for the Rise of the Renminbi

The use of an intemational currency is not just a natural market phenomenon; it relies heavily on international political foundations. The historical lessons of the four major international currencies--the pound, dollar, euro and yen--show that a strong partner network and a favorable international institutional environment are the two major political foundations for the formation of a stable international currency. The rise of the renminbi, as a late starter looking to become a major international currency, depends not only on the requisite economic conditions but on governmental diplomacy aimed at attracting more monetary cooperation partners and creating international institutions that support its worldwide use. This strategy reinforces the political foundations for the rise of the renminbi. Building a network of partners supporting the renminbi as an international currency and creating a system of international monetary institutions are the real tests of the issuing country＇s political leadership. This political leadership capacity has three dimensions： public trust founded on reputation building; a centripetal force driven by provision of benefits; and coercive force applied through sanctions. Comparatively speaking, the renminbi is still in the early stage of its ascent, so the development of its political infrastructure should concentrate mainly on gaining public trust through reputation-building and employing centripetal force involving provision of benefits.

Understanding Globalization. The Inter-Parliamentary Union From the Late Nineteenth to Early Twentieth Century

The Inter-Parliamentary Union was formed in 1889, gathering, initially, 38 British and French parliamentarians. The IPU （guided, from 1901 up to 1908, by Fredreric Passy and William Randall Cremer）, was to support and reinforce the objective of extending arbitration as a ＇peaceful tool＇ for resolving the dispute between states. The aftermath of the First World War marked a decisive step forward in the development of a strong liberal internationalist milieux which promoted a peaceful order based on the international rule of law. This paper summarizes some issues of ongoing research and it focuses on two key topics： the rise of parliamentary control of foreign policy and the making of ＇parliamentary diplomacy＇. Besides, it tried to elucidate, from another point of view, the political building of ＇transnational and peaceful politics＇ aimed at the growth of peaceful and ＇progressive＇ social relations among States and how the ＇peaceful politics＇ are subjects that engage the complexity and the deep-rooted issues of State facing to the ＇first globalization＇ and the ＇end of century crisis＇.

Managing International News-Agency Relations under the Guomindang： China＇s Central News Agency, Zhao Minheng, and Reuters, 1931-1945

During the Nationalist Era, China dealt with its relatively weaker position in the global geopolitics of news communication by forging and managing strategic collaborations with the world＇s leading news agencies. This study analyzes the case of the bilateral contractual relationship between Reuters and the Guomindang （GMD） government＇s official news agency, the Central News Agency （CNA）. By doing so, the article reveals that in the course of developing useful cooperation with the leading international news agencies to open up inter-institutional and interpersonal channels and networks for disseminating the GMD government＇s official news and viewpoints abroad, the GMD government and CNA were also confronted with a growing necessity to manage and control protracted contentious, disputes, and even conflicts arising from the party-state＇s persistent attempts to assert news communication sovereignty. The study also highlights the vital role of Zhao Minheng （1904-61）--a US-educated Chinese journalist in the employment of Reuters--as middleman in the CNA-Reuters relationship. Zhao＇s career provides us with an important means to analyze CNA＇s international news-agency relations from transnational and transcultural perspectives.

Proposal for a Coordinated International Institute on Friendshipology

Since becoming an active member of the South Bay Chapter of the US-China Peoples Friendship Association,I have contributed four articles to the Voice of Friendship magazine,a publication of the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries.Although the USCPFA focuses on friendship between the US and China,my deeper interest is learning about and

An Innovative Path of the Hainan Free Trade Port from the Perspective of Global Experience

The construction of the Hainan Free Trade Port(FTP)should not only exploit the advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics but also research and draw on the advanced institutions and successful experience of typical international free trade ports.The emergence of typical international free trade ports in Singapore,Dubai,and Chinese Hong Kong depends on an embedded international economic and trade order and institutional innovation practices.Both conditions are interactively embedded through a series of institutional designs with similar characteristics.The paper sorts out the necessary factors of the successful practice of typical international free trade ports,and proposess that the Hainan FTP should continue to exert its advantages by building on existing institutional innovation.At the same time,it should actively embed the regional multilateral international and economic and trade landscape represented by the Belt and Road Initiative and expedite institutional innovation and reform,and development in different fields,to create a socialist free trade port with Chinesecharacteristics.

WTO,credible commitments,and China’s reform of state-owned enterprises

This study focusses on the relationship between China’s accession to the World Trade Organisation(WTO)and its reform of stateowned enterprises(SOEs)and suggests that the major incentive for the Chinese government to join the WTO is to promote economic reforms through overcoming domestic obstacles.After other options such as decentralisation,legalisation,and privatisation failed to enhance viability of SOEs,the Chinese government began to rely on international institutions to enhance its credibility and harden the budget constraints on SOEs.The WTO is one of the most important international organisations and has binding force for its member states.China’s participation in the WTO will effectively harden budget constraints on its SOEs and improve the efficiency of these enterprises through introducing competition into the domestic market.Historical data support our argument and indicate that China has effectively enhanced the credibility of government commitments and promoted the reform of its SOEs since its accession to the WTO.

The Roots of Great Power Competition:An Analysis Based on the Increasing Returns Mechanism

Geopolitics,technology and international institutions are three major areas of great power competition.In the analysis of great power relations,both the balance of power theory and the hegemony theory rely on the assumption of diminishing returns and ignore the possibility of increasing returns.Increasing returns play an extensive role in geographical location,technological evolution and institutional change;accordingly,the increasing returns mechanism in great power relations is reflected in the geopolitical competition,technological competition and international institutional competition of great powers.The rational expectation that initial advantages will be transformed into long-term advantages through the mechanism of increasing returns drives great powers into competition whether they are rivals or allies.As specific mechanisms leading to increasing returns,coordination effects operate in geopolitical competition,technological competition and international institution competition;learning effects are found in technological competition and international institution competition;and adaptive expectations play a part in international institution competition.Various cases,ranging from the Anglo-Dutch rivalry over maritime hegemony in the 17th century to the current US-European competition over international investment arbitration regimes,show that great power competition derives from the logic of increasing returns.

Power Shift, Governance Deficit and a Sustainable Global Order

This paper puts forward three interrelated arguments.First,a tripartite power structure has been emerging,with the United States as the superpower,and Europe and the BRICS as major forces.Together they will shape the future world order.Second,the changed nature of security concerns from purely inter-state threats to trans-state ones provides opportunities for the three forces to cooperate,but genuine cooperation for the global commons is far from satisfying.It results in a gap between the demand for effective global governance and the supply of adequate international institutions.Hence there appears a global governance deficit.Third,the key to eliminating such a deficit is cooperation between the original major powers and the emerging ones for building a sustainable global order.If such cooperation is to be realized,emerging powers should be taken as equal partners rather than challengers in the international system.In this respect,their active participation in the reform of international institutions is of paramount significance.

End of the “American Century”

At the start of the post WWII era,the United States led the world to establish a political and economic order for freer trade,military cooperation,and economic development in low income countries.The program was far from perfect,but it gave the world decades of growth,expansion,and increased freedom and opportunity.More people in more countries raised their living standards more significantly than in any other period of human history.Freer trade and avoidance of major wars benefited people everywhere.The U.S.leadership is nevertheless much weaker now.Countries cannot agree on trade treaties to remove further barriers,and the growing size and importance of several countries with diverse interests make agreements harder to reach.Terrorism in parts of the world restricts the spread of markets.A likely outcome will be slower growth of the world economy in the future.