Discourse Analysis of the Belt and Road Initiative From the Perspective of Central Asian Countries: A Case Study of the Republic of Kazakhstan

This study employs Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis(CDA)three-dimensional model,using the Republic of Kazakhstan as a case study,to delve into the discourse construction of China’s Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)in Central Asian countries.Through detailed analysis of policy documents,media reports,and public discussions in Central Asian countries,this paper reveals how the BRI constructs specific social practices,discourse events,and textual meanings within these nations.The findings indicate that through this global development strategy,China has not only strengthened its economic ties with Central Asian countries but has also exerted profound influences on political,cultural,and social levels.

China's Belt and Road Initiative: Incorporating public health measures toward global economic growth and shared prosperity

The unprecedented globalization of trade,travel,climate change,protectionism,and geopolitical populism,as well as pandemic health threats are no longer issues for a single nation.In the field of public health,China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) offers immense opportunities for partnership and collective actions involving multiple countries to combat globalization-linked infectious and/or chronic diseases,emerging pandemics,and outbreaks of potential threats to both laboratory information management systems and health information management.The national and global health challenges have increasingly proved that economic prosperity cannot be achieved when huge knowledge and capacity gaps exist in health systems.There is thus a need for public health initiatives aimed at strengthening the health systems beyond sovereign borders to influence global geo-economics.We highlight situational insights that offer approaches and strategies for increasing public health investment and capacity development in the countries along the Belt and Road,enhancing public and global health cooperation alongside participation in disease control and elimination,promoting public health governance and data sharing for pandemic threats,and building shared values and benefits in public health through Sino-African cooperation and the BRI.Our approach also examines the values of the China's BRI in relation to public health,projections and initiatives for increasing new investment and development capacity in public health systems,and enhanced public and global health cooperation and participation toward the BRI's framework and scope.

Developing a Subjective Evaluation Scale for Assessing the Built Environments of China’s Hygienic City Initiative

Objective To develop a preliminary subjective evaluation scale for assessing the built environments of China’s Hygienic City Initiative and to evaluate its reliability and validity.Methods The initial items of the scale were determined based on a review of policy documents and consultations with experts. The final items of the scale were confirmed through individual interviews with residents combined with the discretetrend method, critical ratio method, correlation coefficient method, and factor analysis method. Then, the dimensions of the scale were determined using exploratory factor analysis(EFA). The Cronbach’s α coefficient, split-half reliability coefficient, and confirmatory factor analysis(CFA) were used to assess the reliability and validity of the scale.Results A scale containing five dimensions with 22 items was established, including urban lifestyle,governance, basic functions, environmental sanitation, and amenities. The Cronbach’s α coefficient of the scale was 0.876, and the split-half reliability coefficient was 0.796. The CFA results indicate that each inspection level was within the standard limit.Conclusion The preliminarily subjective evaluation scale for assessing the built environments of China’s Hygienic City Initiative demonstrates a high level of reliability and validity. Additional empirical studies should be carried out to further verify the value of the scale in terms of practical application.

The value of China-Africa health development initiatives in strengthening 'One Health' strategy

Implementing national to community-based 'One Health' strategy for human,animal and environmental challenges and migrating-led consequences offer great opportunities,and its value of sustained development and wellbeing is an imperative.'One Health' strategy in policy commitment,partnership and financial investment are much needed in advocacy,contextual health human-animal and environmental development.Therefore,appropriate and evidence-based handling and management strategies in moving forward universal health coverage and sustainable development goals (SDGs) are essential components to the China-Africa health development initiatives.It is necessary to understand how to strengthen robust and sustainable 'One Health' approach implementation in national and regional public health and disaster risk reduction programs.Understanding the foundation of'One Health' strategy in China-Africa public health cooperation is crucial in fostering health systems preparedness and smart response against emerging and re-emerging threats and epidemics.Building the value of China-Africa 'One Health' strategy partnerships,frameworks and capacity development and implementation through leveraging on current and innovative China-Africa health initiatives,but also,mobilizing efforts on climatic changes and disasters mitigation and lifestyle adaptations strategies against emerging and current infectious diseases threats are essential to establish epidemic surveillance-response system under the concept of global collaborative coordination and lasting financing mechanisms.Further strengthen local infrastructure and workforce capacity,participatory accountability and transparency on 'One Health' approach will benefit to set up infectious diseases of poverty projects,and effective monitoring and evaluation systems in achieving African Union 2063 Agenda and SDGs targets both in Africa and China.

Anti-Poverty Cooperation between China and West Asian and North African Countries in the Context of the Belt and Road Initiative

As important parts of the Belt and Road Initiative,West Asia and North Africa have rich resources and prominent strategic position.Anti-poverty has always been a crucial social issue of China,West Asia and North Africa. Through literature review and data analysis,this paper analyzed the current situations of anti-poverty in West Asia and North Africa and the causes of poverty,and objectively summarized the realistic foundation of anti-poverty cooperation between China and West Asian and North African countries. On the basis of current situations,it put forward a path for anti-poverty cooperation between China and West Asian and North African countries,in the hope of providing decisionmaking basis and policy recommendations for China to undertake anti-poverty cooperation in the worldwide range.

R&B Initiative Strengthens the Cooperation Between China and Arab Countries

On April 2, the eighth Entrepreneurship Conference and the sixth Investment Seminar of the Sino-Arab Cooperation Forum were held in Tunisia.Chen Xiaoguang, Vice Chairman of the CPPCC, Gao Yan,Chairperson of the CCPIT, Youssef Chahed, Prime Minister of Tunisia,and officials and entrepreneurs from both sides attended the conference.Chen Xiaoguang delivered a speech at the opening ceremony of the conference, saying that both China and Arab States agreed to establish a strategic partnership of comprehensive cooperation.

Australia’s Fear and Greed over China’s Rise:A Discourse Analysis of Mainstream News Coverage of the Belt and Road Initiative

China’s rise has stirred up world-wide debate.In Australia,China has been one of the keywords in its foreign and strategic policies and on news media.Its rise intensifies the dual functions―benefit provider and security offender to Australia and the tensions between greed of economic gains and fear of China’s increasing geopolitical strength and influence.The“fear and greed”narration is well-presented on Australian mainstream media.Such ambivalence can also find its expressions in the recent typical case of China’s rise―the Belt and Road Initiative.It is worthwhile to find out how Australia’s ambivalence to BRI and China’s rise is represented on media and to draw the sociopolitical inferences behind“fear and greed”.The thesis is going to take BRI as a typical example of China’s rise to examine the ambivalent“fear and greed”narration on Australian mainstream news media.Data sample includes news reports of BRI from ABC News,The Australian,The Australian Financial Review,The Sydney Morning Herald,and The Age from September 1st,2013 to October 31st,2017.The discourse analysis on China’s images finds that Australia is rather biased against China,regarding China both as a lucrative friend and a threatening enemy.The bias lingers on for centuries and generates misunderstanding,mistrust,and anxiety.Profit drives Australia to establish closer economic ties with China,while value differences would not allow too much proximity but help to maintain a robust alliance with its allies.Australia’s position between its major economic partner and traditional allies has caused much concern and will have a long-term influence on its policy-making decisions.

The Cooperation Between China and Afghanistan Under the“Belt and Road Initiative”

Afghanistan is a neighboring country to China.The Afghanistan issue has had an important impact on China’s national security.Since the establishment of the new Afghan government in 2001,China has been committed to promoting Afghanistan’s economic,social,and security reconstruction,and has invested heavily resources in Afghanistan’s reconstruction.The main cause of the Afghan problem is that the Afghan government lacked enough resources and can only rely on the foreign powers’aids.Afghanistan eventually loses its independence,and triggers interference in big powers.At present,Afghanistan still has not escaped this predicament.Near 50%of the Afghan government’s revenue comes from foreign aids.In 2013,the“Belt and Road Initiative”proposed by China provided opportunity for the reconstruction of Afghanistan.Afghanistan,as the crossroads of the land Silk Road and the heart of Asia,has become more prominent in its geopolitical status for“Belt and Road Initiative”.By participating“Belt and Road Initiative”,Afghanistan can help to activate its own economic vitality and promote the cross-border trade.It has changed the situation that Afghanistan is highly dependent on external aids.This helps to solve the problems of reconstruction in Afghanistan.

The 5^th Anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative Witnessing the Rich Activities Held by Overseas China Cultural Centers (Ⅷ)

Nothing can separate people with common goals and ideals,not even mountains and seas.In 2013, Chinese President Xi Jinping proposed a major initiative to jointly build the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21^st Century Maritime Silk Road.As a result,the Belt and Road Initiative has attracted worldwide attention and embraced a new journey through time and space.In the past five years,the Belt and Road Initiative has been widely recognized by the international community and has yielded positive results. Under this background,the overseas China cultural centers have played a unique role in the going global of Chinese culture by focusing on such functions as cultural exchange,teaching and training,exchange of thoughts and dialogues and information services.These regular activities have facilitated the people-to-people ties.This serial report focuses on the celebrations of the 5^th anniversary of the Belt and Road Initiative held by overseas China cultural centers since March this year.

The Belt and Road Initiatives and China＇s Middle East Energy Policy

The paper analyses the roots of the Belt and Road Initiative as well as China＇s Middle East Energy Policy in an age of great transformation. China＇s rapidly progressed economic growth leading to a dramatic increase in China＇s energy demand in recent years. The Middle East countries play a critical role in the international energy markets. Stable relations with the Middle East countries become increasingly important for Chinese energy security, and the continued development. The protection of these relations lies at the core of the Belt and Road Initiative. Within The Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese Middle East energy policy proceeds according to the energy cooperation framework known as ＂1＋2＋3＂, which seeks to build a reliable China-Arab strategic cooperative relationship based on long-term friendship. To avoid over dependence on the energy resources of the Middle East, China will also continue to search for other overseas energy sources and protect transportation channels. Despite risks and challenges associated with energy imports from the Middle East, China has cultivated strong relations with states in the region and will develop these economic ties further in the coming years.

The Belt and Road Initiatives and China＇s International Energy Cooperation： Progress, Mechanisms, and Recommendations

China＇s international energy cooperation and energy security are important parts of The Belt and Road initiatives. China and the countries along the Belt and Road continue to promote cooperation, actively use the existing bilateral and multilateral cooperation mechanisms to promote the regional and inter-regional energy cooperation. Countries along the Belt and Road are rich in oil and gas resources; their demand on the diversification of export meet with the diversification demand on imports of consumption countries; and their oil refining and chemical technology as well as construction capacity is weak, which provides a lot of new opportunities in cooperation for Chinese enterprises. However, the energy cooperation of Chinese enterprises are also facing some challenges in the complex environment of energy cooperation, the interference of big powers, non-traditional security threats, and energy policy factors. Finally, the paper puts forward the strategic thinking of China＇s international energy cooperation under the new situation.

Belt and Road Initiative and Possible Impacts on the SouthChina Sea Issue

Since China proposed the Belt and Road Initiative （BRI） in late 2013, the impacts of the 21st century Maritime Silk Road （MSR） construction on the South China Sea （SCS） issue become a focal point of both academic research and public concern. There are plenty of divergent opinions on whether the MSR will mean an opportunity for settling the SCS issue, or it will face the challenge of intensified maritime conflicts in this region. This paper first of all analyzes the significance of the BRI in the general picture of China＇s foreign policy. To ensure neighborhood diplomacy be in line with the BRI, China adjusts its SCS policy through rebuilding and consolidating political mutual trust with countries which have been involved into conflicts with China on the SCS issue; meanwhile, China promotes pragmatic cooperation under MSR framework to cultivate positive atmosphere and sense of community with a shared destiny. Both MSR construction and the addressing of the SCS issue are long-term issues, while the MSR provides an innovative approach to surpass existing disputes and focus on regional development cooperation. Hence, the MSR could be an opportunity to accelerate the resolving of maritime disputes.

China-Central Asia Relations and Role of the Belt and Road Initiative

China is moving to greater economic and political influence in the global scale.One of the Chinese strategy for“go global”is Belt and Road Initiative(BRI)which was announced by President Xi Jinping in 2013.The BRI includes a significant number of countries from Asia,Central Asia,the Middle East,Africa,and Europe.In this framework,China relations with Central Asia are an important part of the BRI project.The BRI is not merely an economic project as framed by Beijing,but that it represents a new stage in China’s engagement with the Central Asian republics.The Belt and Road Initiative is highly likely to become China’s most significant contribution to Central Asia economic development.This would affect the China-Central Asia relations economically and politically.

Implications from Park Public-Private Partnership(PPP)Initiatives in China and Japan

In this study,the statistical information of 166 park Public-Private Partnership(PPP)projects in China,such as investment,area,project stage,and locality area,was collected to analyze types of clusters and defined five types.For each type of cluster,it was possible to analyze the merits of park PPP projects in China.The case study also revealed the construction process of the entities that build,manage and operate the projects.With the findings from the analysis,it can present a perspective on Japan and China and compare park Private Finance Initiative(PFI)and PPP projects between Japan and China.

Address at the Launching Ceremony of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative in Romania by Mme.Xu Lyuping,Vice-President of China NGO Network for International Exchanges

Distinguished former Prime Minister Mr.Peter Roman,Distinguished Minister Mr.Niculae Badalau,Distinguished Mr.&Mrs.Bartha,Ladies and gentlemen,dear friends,It’s my great delight to attend the launching ceremony of the Silk Road Community Building Initiative in Romania,which is a major event to enhance the mutual understanding and trust,promote people-to-people connectivity as well as consolidate the foundation of the Belt and Road cooperation between China and Romania.

Contributing More Chinese Wisdom to the Belt and Road Initiative:Exploration and Practice of the China Region Development & Reform Institute

As the"Belt and Road"is gaining ground with higher quality,China’s think tanks have played a unique role in facilitating policy communication,enhancing people-to-people connectivity and promoting practical cooperation,and have contributed a lot of"Chinese wisdom"to the development of BRI.

A Comparative Study of Humanistic Exchange and Cooperation between China and Southeast Asian in the Perspective of "the Belt and Road" Initiative

In the exchanges between different countries,apart from enhancing political mutual trust and strengthening pragmatic cooperation,it is of great importance to forging humanistic exchange.With a long history of exchanges between China and all the countries in South-east Asia,the humanistic exchange between China and South-east Asia has been continuing since the founding of the People's Republic of China.After the establishment of China-ASEAN dialogue relations,the strategic position of humanistic exchange has been rapidly improved.By means of the case study of Confucius Institute,sister cities,and tourism cooperation,the author has found that humanistic exchange between China and South-east Asia has enjoyed a long history and embodied profound and extensive meaning.It is the ancient Maritime Silk Road that helped to form the exchanges between China and South-east Asia.In the meantime,it is the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road that has deepened this friendship.The successful experience of humanistic exchange and cooperation between China and South-east Asia has not only consolidated the China-ASEAN strategic partnership but also provided a conducive reference for people-to-people ties in the implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative.In addition,it has added dynamics and confidence to the building of a community with a shared future for mankind which is propelled by China's humanistic diplomacy.

A Study on the Belt and Road Initiative and the Promotion of International Competitiveness of China's Culture Industry

China's pioneering the Belt and Road initiative not only provides a broad space for China's culture industry to enhance international competitiveness, but also puts forward a major project. It includes: optimize and integrate strategic resources through connectivity, cultivate export-oriented cultural enterprises to promote the main body of the industry, optimize the structure of cultural trade by expanding cultural services exports, and build win-win cooperation networks through the connections between Silk Road Cities. This will both contribute to the global distribution and resource allocation of China's culture industry, and benefit the construction of mutually beneficial and cooperative international culture industry communities, so the countries and people of the Belt and Road regions can share their cultural wealth.

Historical Trend of China-UK Strategic Cooperation Based on the Belt and Road Initiative

The Belt and Road Initiative which was proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping is playing an important role in the development of globalization, increasingly more countries and international groups are supporting and engaging in it. The trade and cultural communications between China and the United Kingdom(UK) goes back centuries, and although troubled at times, has now successfully entered the"golden age"of deep cooperation between the world powers through strategic cooperation based on the Belt and Road Initiative. With the developing trend of the times, China and the UK should deepen their cooperation in the areas of higher education, research and development, financial innovation, social management, cultural innovation, supply-side structural reform, regional development, rural governance, public medical systems, aerotropolis construction, university science parks, high-tech parks, and other social and economic developments, thus continuing the advancement of deep cooperation between world powers. The Belt and Road International Conference held in Beijing in May 2017 and was the beginning of a new round of strategic cooperation and globalization for the benefit of the countries and regions involved.