Research on the Performance Evaluation Index System of Frontier County Governments in China ——Taking Hekou County as an Example

At present, the overall economic and social development of our country is fast, but the rate of development of the remote land and territories in the land is still far behind the speed of the inland and the east. This has also triggered a series of frontier issues. This requires our frontier government to strengthen border governance, seize the opportunity to meet challenges, and at the same time we must also strengthen the assessment of the governance capacity of the frontier government. This article hopes that through the actual investigation and study of frontier counties and the consideration of border issues according to local conditions, a set of performance evaluation index system for frontier county-level governments will be proposed, which will help the frontier government in border control.

Chinese Experiences in Addressing Rural Extreme Poverty and Marginalization

Seeking to alleviate and eradicate Bao （the minimum livelihood guarantee system） extreme povertY, the Chinese government has extended Di to the entire rural sector. It has also enhanced agricultural policies and strengthened its promotion of rural socioeconomic development. In more-developed regions of the country, the Di Bao program-in combination with integrated urban and rural social insurance and public services-has significantly reduced rates of poverty and financial vulnerability, and additional employment-promotion policies have created opportunities for Di Bao recipients to achieve incomes above the poverty-line. However, because of the high number of extremely poor households in disproportionately poor areas and the paucity of locally-available financial resources there, the intensity of intervention is still insufficient. Inadequate coordination of policies and shortcomings in the targeting of subsidies have resulted in both under-coverage and welfare-leakage as well. Consequently, in China＇s efforts to eradicate extreme poverty, increasing the effectiveness of poverty-reduction strategies in poor areas remains a key prioritY.

Immigration and Liberal Egalitarianism

My principal objective in this paper is to examine what position liberal egalitarians should take regarding the issue of immigration. Given that liberal egalitarians grant central importance to individual autonomy and the moral equality of all persons, their rejection of restrictive immigration policies appears to follow from these central normative commitments. Liberal egalitarians such as Joseph Carens and Phillip Cole have argued that those who are committed to individual autonomy and moral equality should advocate for an open borders position in immigration. I argue that it is a serious mistake for liberal egalitarians to advocate open national borders and that borders should instead be strategically regulated to reduce global economic inequalities through immigration policies systematically integrated into development programs for the poorest and most vulnerable countries. Open borders would create an open market for immigration slots to choice countries of destination, which out of practical necessity would have to delimit the number of new immigrants. It is well known in migration studies that those who are more educated, young, and have more resources are more likely to migrate than the very young, the elderly, the infirm, and the poorest individuals. Those left behind in developing countries suffer serious negative consequences from the emigration of the most highly educated, capable, and talented individuals in their society. I then argue that liberal egalitarians should grant particular moral consideration to the world＇s poorest and most vulnerable and that immigration policies strategically designed to prioritize their needs are actually more consistent with the dual commitments of individual autonomy and moral equality than an open borders position. I propose three principles of global justice that are consistent with liberal egalitarianism that should guide transnational moral obligations. I end the paper by arguing that two of these principles can be used to justify restricted immigration policies that would enable developed countries to partially discharge some of their moral obligations to developing countries while enhancing the autonomy of the world＇s most vulnerable people.

Driving Factors of Coordinated Development in Chinese Border Cities:A Case Study of Lincang City in Southwest China

In the context of the“Belt and Road Initiative”,the sustainable development of border cities is paramount for facilitating intergovernmental exchanges.Using the system dynamics approach,we integrated border policy factors to create the Border City Coordinated Development(BCCD-SD)model,encompassing three dimensions:Economic,Social,and Resource-Environment.Furthermore,a comprehensive evaluation indicator,the City Coordinated Development Index(CCDI),was devised.Using Lincang City in Southwest China as a case study,this article examines the trends in city development under three scenarios:Inertial Development,Rapid Development,and Green Development.The research findings demonstrate that the model adeptly captures trends in the city coordinated development indicators.Among the three scenarios,the rapid development scenario stands out,yielding the most favorable economic indicators,superior public infrastructure,and the highest employed population.However,the rapid development path,which is heavily focused on economic growth,intensifies resource and environmental pressures,giving rise to sustainability challenges.In contrast,although the green development scenario trails slightly in economic performance compared to rapid development,it fosters a larger urban population and transition of the employed population into citizens while excelling in resource and environmental aspects.Overall,the CCDI attains its highest score under the green development scenario,surpassing those of rapid and inertia development,signifying superior city development coordination along the green path.This scenario effectively combines economic growth,social progress,and resource-environment protection.This study also emphasizes the pivotal role of ports in the coordinated development of border cities and underscores the necessity of expediting the transition from a“gateway”economy to a“port+”economy.One objective of this article is to encourage border cities to serve as more effective windows to the outside world,promote regional coordination,and achieve high-quality development.

The Role of China＇s Local Governments on Sino-South Korean Diplomatic Normalization： A Case Study of Shandong Province

Based on the theory of sub-national governments＇ foreign affairs, this paper analyzes the role played by China＇s local governments at the time when China＇s central government was formulating polices to establish diplomatic relations with South Korea. China＇s local governments, with Shandong Province in particular, made strong attempts to lobby the central government on the economic need for enlarging bilateral trade and drawing investment from South Korea. These efforts played an active role on Sino-South Korean diplomatic normalization and further advanced the realization of diplomatic contacts already underway. Shandong Province＇s case shows that sub-national governments have been playing ever more important roles in China＇s overall diplomacy since the Reform and Opening Up of the economy, which began in 1978. In the multi-fold policy-making process by the central and local governments, it appears that the central government needs to respond to the reasonable interest case for engagement made by sub-national governments. How to accommodate the policy interests of the central and sub- national government entities is an important problem facing China＇s future diplomacy.