Oil and gas cooperation between China and Central Asia in an environment of political and resource competition

This paper investigates Central Asia＇s oil and gas resources, special geopolitics and energy competition, and approaches, challenges and prospects in cooperation between China and Central Asia. The objective is to propose measures for oil and gas cooperation between China and Central Asia. Central Asia is rich in oil and gas resources. Its remaining recoverable reserves of crude oil and natural gas account for 1.9% and 10.6 %, respectively, of the world＇s total reserves. Moreover, there is great exploration and development potential. As a strategic channel connecting Eurasia, Central Asia has a prominent geopolitical status. Many powerful countries such as the United States, Russia and China, as well as Europe, have an intense energy competition in Central Asia. In the oil and gas cooperation with Central Asia, the China National Petroleum Corporation （CNPC） focuses on establishing a coordination group, promoting overall oil and gas business opportunities and sustainable development, innovating and applying specialty engineering technology and improving project economic benefits. Through its efforts over the last nearly two decades, the China National Petroleum Corporation has completed a 50-million-tonne a year oil and gas production centre in Central Asia and oil and gas pipelines passing through multiple countries, becoming an important channel for securing China＇s energy imports. If appropriate measures are taken in the ＇Thirteenth Five-Year Plan＇ period or later, the China National Petroleum Corporation will develop a 100-million-tonne p.a. oil and gas production centre in Central Asia and a strategic oil and gas import channel exceeding this amount of production. This cooperation between China and Central Asia is however faced with the following challenges： increasing multinational competition uncertainty, potential risks in the political systems of Central Asian countries, frequently occurring violence and also resource policy tightening in Central Asia. To further oil and gas cooperation with Central Asia, it is recommended that China should develop an energy acquisition strategy, assign a regional energy ambassador, enhance oil and gas supply by mergers and acquisitions, establish regional multinational subsidiaries and improve its risk prevention system.

Competition vs cooperation:renewable energy investment under cap-and-trade mechanisms

This paper explores the incentives of investment in renewable energy of two utility firms who compete or cooperate under either a cap-and-trade grandfathering mechanism(GM)or benchmarking mechanism(BM).We find that utility firms will invest in renewable energy more under BM than under GM,in both competitive and cooperative markets,and they will invest more in a competitive market than in a cooperative market,under either GM or BM.Furthermore,utility firms will produce more electricity and generate more total carbon emissions under BM than under GM.The profits of two firms,however,are higher in cooperative market than in competitive market.The government will benefit from implementing a BM to encourage utility firms to invest in renewable energy in a competing market.

REGIONAL TURMOIL AND MAJOR COUNTRY COMPETITION AND COOPERATION -MAIN FEATURES OF 2017 INTERNATIONAL SECURITY SITUATION

The development of international military situation in 2o17 has been consistent with that of the past few years. While the overall situa- tion is stable, there has been frequent re- gional turmoil with traditional and non- traditional security risks intertwined, and rising uncertainties in international security The evolvement is closely as- sociated with the profound changes in international system and greatly affects the global landscape. In such a turbu- lent period, strategic stability is still tak- ing hold in major country relations as the strategic balance is maintained and effective instead of deviating from the right path.

Entropy description of a cooperation-competition system

Understanding the cooperation-competition dynamics is a long-standing challenge in studying complex systems.Inspired by the idea of Shannon entropy, we define competition information entropy and propose an entropy evolution model. The analytic results of the model of the relation between competition gain distribution parameters and entropy, as well as the relation between entropy and time are compared with empirical results obtained in 14 real world systems. They are found to be in good agreement with each other.

Competitive and Cooperative-Based Strength Pareto Evolutionary Algorithm for Green Distributed Heterogeneous Flow Shop Scheduling

This work aims to resolve the distributed heterogeneous permutation flow shop scheduling problem(DHPFSP)with minimizing makespan and total energy consumption(TEC).To solve this NP-hard problem,this work proposed a competitive and cooperative-based strength Pareto evolutionary algorithm(CCSPEA)which contains the following features:1)An initialization based on three heuristic rules is developed to generate a population with great diversity and convergence.2)A comprehensive metric combining convergence and diversity metrics is used to better represent the heuristic information of a solution.3)A competitive selection is designed which divides the population into a winner and a loser swarms based on the comprehensive metric.4)A cooperative evolutionary schema is proposed for winner and loser swarms to accelerate the convergence of global search.5)Five local search strategies based on problem knowledge are designed to improve convergence.6)Aproblem-based energy-saving strategy is presented to reduce TEC.Finally,to evaluate the performance of CCSPEA,it is compared to four state-of-art and run on 22 instances based on the Taillard benchmark.The numerical experiment results demonstrate that 1)the proposed comprehensive metric can efficiently represent the heuristic information of each solution to help the later step divide the population.2)The global search based on the competitive and cooperative schema can accelerate loser solutions convergence and further improve the winner’s exploration.3)The problembased initialization,local search,and energy-saving strategies can efficiently reduce the makespan and TEC.4)The proposed CCSPEA is superior to the state-of-art for solving DHPFSP.

Research on Competitiveness of the Developmental Pattern of "Enterprise+Cooperative"——A case of Lamb Fattening Cooperatives in Hainan Sub-prefecture of Qinghai Province

The empirical analyses on agricultural industrialization pattern and local animal husbandry in northwestern areas show that the industrialization development of husbandry in northwestern areas faces international and national competitive pressures. The survival ability and competitive ability are the key points of husbandry industrialization. The paper, having a lamb fattening professional cooperatives in Hainan sub-prefecture of Qinghai Province as the example, introduces the general conditions of the establishment and development of cooperatives and points out the advantages and disadvantages of husbandry in Qinghai Province. The paper analyzes the competitive advantages of Hongyuan Lamb Fattening Cooperatives through five forces mode of Michael Port, putting forward countermeasures and upgrading the competitiveness of Hongyuan Lamb Fattening Competitive.

Competitive location problem of multi-level pickup point considering cooperative coverage

To occupy a greater market share in terminal distribution, companies are urged to make full use of cooperative coverage formed with brand effect and information sharing in the layout of pickup points. Based on the diversity of pickup points, the piecewise function, signal intensity function and probability function are introduced. Meanwhile, considering the effect of distance satisfaction and cooperation coverage on customer behavior, the location model of the pickup point under competitive environments is established. The genetic algorithm is used to solve the problem, and the effectiveness of the model and algorithm is verified by a case. The results show that the sensitivity of weighted demand coverages to budget decreases gradually. The maximum weighted demand coverage increases at first and then decreases with the increase of the signal threshold, and there is a positive correlation with the change of the actual demand coverage to the senior customers, but it is negatively related to the intermediate and primary customers. When the number of high-level pickup points in a competitive enterprise is small, the advantage of the target enterprise is more significant. Through comparison, the cooperative coverage model is better than the non-cooperative coverage model, in terms of the weighted demand coverage, the construction cost and the attention paid to the important customers.

Competitive and cooperative adsorption behaviors of phenol and aniline onto nonpolar macroreticular adsorbents

The adsorption behaviors of phenol and aniline on nonpolar macroreticular adsorbents(NDA100 and Amberlite XAD4) were investigated in single or binary batch system at 293K and 313K respectively in this study. The results indicated that the adsorption isotherms of phenol and aniline on both adsorbents in both systems fitted well Langmuir equation, which indicated a favourable and exothermic process. At the lower equilibrium concentrations, the individual amount adsorbed of phenol or aniline on macroreticular adsorbents in single-component systems was higher than those in binary-component systems because of the competition between phenol and aniline towards the adsorption sites. It is noteworthy, on the contrast, that at higher concentrations, the total uptake amounts of phenol and aniline in binary-component systems were obviously larger than that in single-component systems, and a large excess was noted on the adsorbent surface at saturation, which is presumably due to the cooperative effect primarily arisen from the hydrogen bonding or weak acid-base interaction between phenol and aniline.

Role of the epididymis in sperm competition

Although it is generally understood that the testes recruited kidney ducts for reproductive function during the evolution of vertebrates, little is understood of the biological significance of the adaptation. In the context of the evolution of the mammalian epididymis, this report provides evidence that a major role of the epididymis is to enhance a male＇s chance of achieving paternity in a competitive mating system. A unique example of sperm cooperation in monotremes is used as evidence that the epididymis produces sperm competition proteins to form groups of 100 sperm into bundles that have a forward motility nearly thrice that of individual spermatozoa. As it required 3-h incubation in vitro under capacitation conditions to release motile sperm from the bundles, it is suggested that the monotremes provide an example of capacitation that is quite different from capacitation in higher mammals. It is suggested that variation between species in the intensity of sperm competition could explain the variation that occurs between species in the amount of post-testicular sperm maturation and storage in the epididymis, an explanation of why the human epididymis does not play as important a role in reproduction as the epididymis of most mammals. （Asian J Androl 2007 July; 9： 493-499）

BINARY COMPETITIVE AND COOPERATIVE ADSORPTION OF AROMATIC COMPOUNDS ON POLYMERIC RESINS

The adsorption behaviors of 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid and aniline on a conventional macroporous resin Amberlite XAD4 and the other two newly-developed hypercrosslinked resins NDA101 and NDAI00 were investigated in a single or binary batch system at 293 K and 313 K, respectively. All the adsorption isotherms of 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid and aniline on the test resins in both systems can fit well with the Langmuir equation, indicating that the adsorption is a favorable process. At the identical equilibrium concentration, the amount of aniline adsorbed on polymeric resins in the single system is higher than that in the binary system because of the competitive adsorption between 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid and aniline on the resin surface. However, the uptake amount of 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid in the binary system is markedly larger than that in the single system, which is presumably due to the cooperative effect arisen from the electrostatic interaction between 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid and aniline adsorbed on the resin surface. The simultaneous adsorption system was proven to be helpful for the selective adsorption toward 2-naphthalenesulfonic acid due to its larger selective index.

Dynamic aggregation evolution of competitive societies of cooperative and noncooperative agents

We propose an evolution model of cooperative agent and noncooperative agent aggregates to investigate the dynamic evolution behaviors of the system and the effects of the competing microscopic reactions on the dynamic evolution. In this model, each cooperative agent and noncooperative agent are endowed with integer values of cooperative spirits and nonco- operative spirits, respectively. The cooperative spirits of a cooperative agent aggregate and the noncooperative spirits of a noncooperative agent aggregate change via four competing microscopic reaction schemes： the win-win reaction between two cooperative agents, the lose-lose reaction between two noncooperative agents, the win-lose reaction between a coop- erative agent and a noncooperative agent （equivalent to the migration of spirits from cooperative agents to noncooperative agents）, and the cooperative agent catalyzed decline of noncooperative spirits. Based on the generalized Smoluchowski＇s rate equation approach, we investigate the dynamic evolution behaviors such as the total cooperative spirits of all coop- erative agents and the total noncooperative spirits of all noncooperative agents. The effects of the three main groups of competition on the dynamic evolution are revealed. These include： （i） the competition between the lose-lose reaction and the win-lose reaction, which gives rise to respectively the decrease and increase in the noncooperative agent spirits; （ii） the competition between the win-win reaction and the win-lose reaction, which gives rise to respectively the increase and decrease in the cooperative agent spirits; （iii） the competition between the win-lose reaction and the catalyzed-decline reaction, which gives rise to respectively the increase and decrease in the noncooperative agent spirits.

Competition Law in the GCC Countries： The Tale of a Blurry Enforcement

countries, and emphasizes that the application of the rules in force represents the weak point of systems in which the competition policy awareness is much needed but still anchored at a rudimentary stage. This is especially evident when considering that, although such laws have been built up following the European Union model as regards to the forbidden practices, and the US system-with its combination of monetary fines and criminal approach-for the sanctions, the establishment of a legal environment “friendly competition” is far from effective enforcement. After providing an overview of the competition laws passed by the six GCC members, the paper highlights that, notwithstanding the wide arsenal of legal tools to curb possible anticompetitive practices made available under the national regimes, in all countries role and powers of the competition authorities are somewhat underrated. Due to such generalized lack of implementation, the article underlines the need for effective enforcement standards accompanied by a joint harmonized action against illegal competition to be undertaken at regional level in order to facilitate the flow of commerce, and strengthen the economy in the GCC marketplace.

The Role of Cooperative Strategies in Destinations＇ Competitiveness in a Turbulent Environment

Destination management is a key issue of all overall models of destinations＇ competitiveness and seems to be a ＂panacea＂ in those countries, which introduces the tool-system in the near past, so as to support the destinations （national/regional or local level） to keep up with keen competition, mainly in the Central-Eastern and Balkan region. The culture of cooperation holds difficulties in this region. The lack of trust as well as cooperation in bigger groups can be drawn back to the distrust business culture typical in these countries, and the so-called group collectivism （a phenomenon of building trust in small groups based on personal contacts）. The main focus of this paper is to summarize the theoretical approaches to destinations＇ competitiveness and destination management and to summarize the results of two case studies concerning a destination facing keen competition or escaping from a decline. The main research question is： ＂What kind of role can （could） destination management play in destinations＇ competitiveness in a turbulent environment？＂. As a result of this research, the differentiated analysis of management-oriented view of destinations＇ competitiveness was carried out, as well as crystallizing the key success/failure factors of destination management.

Beijing's 4th GTEF Glitters with Brainstorming Themes-Science and Technology,Brand and International Cooperation

Hosted by the China National Textile & Apparel Council,the fourth" Global Textile Economic Forum"was held in Beijing on March 23,2007.Based

Target Path Tracking Method of Intelligent Vehicle Based on Competitive Cooperative Game

To improve intelligent vehicle drive performance and avoid vehicle side-slip during target path tracking,a linearized four-wheel vehicle model is adopted as a predictive control model,and an intelligent ve-hicle target path tracking method based on a competitive cooperative game is proposed.The design variables are divided into different strategic spaces owned by each player by calculating the affecting factors of the design variables with objective functions and fuzzy clustering.Based on the competitive cooperative game model,each game player takes its payoff as a mono-objective to optimize its own strategic space and obtain the best strategy to deal with others.The best strategies were combined into the game strategy set.Considering the front wheel angle and side slip angle increment constraint,tire side-slip angle,and tire side slip deflection dynamics,it took the path tracking state model was used as the objective,function and the calculation was validated by competitive cooperative game theory.The results demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.The experimental results show that this method can track an intelligent vehicle quickly and steadily and has good real-time per-formance.

美国全球水资源安全战略分析

由于相对实力下降,美国的霸权正面临“碎片化”与“议题化”转型。在众多涉及安全的议题中,水资源议题因为自身的敏感性,成为美国国家安全的重要组成部分。2022年美国相继发布《全球水安全行动计划》和第二个《美国全球水战略》文件,明确了未来一段时期美国在全球水资源领域的战略目标、原则、优先方向、实施路径以及项目规划。其在优先方向、重点地区以及实施路径等方面的新变化,不但会对中美在水资源领域的竞争产生重要影响,更可能干扰中国与周边国家在水资源领域的合作。中国需加强跟踪研判和科学谋划,不断调整和优化与周边国家开展水资源合作及治理的政策和路径,化解美国对华开展水资源竞争所带来的风险。

罪刑相适应是刑法分则解释的铁则

“以刑制罪”论者主张为了所谓量刑公正而可以任意变换罪名,无视犯罪构成原理和罪刑法定原则,因而不可取。罪刑相适应作为刑法分则解释的铁则,应贯彻到刑法分则解释适用的每一个具体解释结论和处理结果当中。为实现罪刑相适应,根本无需严格区分法条竞合和想象竞合。选择罪名和概括罪名也能并罚。为开山采石以确保安全的方式运输、储存爆炸物的,不应作为犯罪处理。危险驾驶、妨害安全驾驶、危险作业造成伤亡结果的,只能成立交通肇事罪、危险物品肇事罪、责任事故犯罪,而不能成立以危险方法危害公共安全罪。我国刑法分则规定的行为并不都是实行行为,应准确区分预备行为与实行行为。

多民族小区域社会共同性的形成——以贵州榕江县“宰牙四寨”为例

铸牢中华民族共同体意识,需要从各民族的交往交流交融历史实践中去认知和理解共同拥有的文化认同基础,进而才能引导新时代民族工作主线的具体实践。本文聚焦于贵州榕江县郎洞镇的宰牙四寨小区域社会,梳理自清代雍正年间国家“开辟”建制治理下,重构了村寨人群地理空间,使之步入苗、侗、汉等多民族共居互动的社会结构过程。在几百年的历史发展中,一方面是各民族面临相同的自然与社会生境,形成了共同的社会诉求和生活方式,一些被认为对共同生活与社会秩序稳定有保障的族性社会文化规则,被接纳重构为地缘性规则;另一方面是国家制度、文化理念、通用文字及现代民族平等政策等先后植入,与地方社会文化传统互动,生成新的整合机制,进一步强化了超越单一民族的小区域共同体凝聚。该个案的意义在于透析出具有共同性的“文化中国”是由若干类似超越族性的小区域共同体及其文化共遵共享连缀而成的。

竞争还是合作:纵向财政关系改革下的政府行为抉择

纵向财政关系的规范与协调是建立现代财政制度的必要条件。本文从省直管县财政体制改革入手,探究了纵向财政关系改革下纵向层级政府在财政竞争与合作行为之间如何抉择的问题。本文基于1997—2009年全国县级面板数据,利用计量模型开展实证分析后发现,当地级市的财政利益因省直管县财政体制改革受损时,总体来看其下辖的非改革县的财政支出和转移支付将会增加,这表明地级市为弥补自身利益会对余下非改革县进行帮扶以求合作共赢。此外,异质性分析结果表明:“强市弱县”情况下的地级市和组织政府性基金收入能力强的地级市对余下非改革县的帮扶力度较大;地级市主要借助于专项转移支付工具对余下非改革县进行帮扶而非一般性转移支付。

基于波特五力模型的中外合作办学竞争态势研究

随着国际形势的深度演变和调整,中外合作办学在推动国内国际双循环相互促进的高等教育新发展格局方面将发挥独特且重要的作用。通过引入“波特五力模型”,基于举办方、用户、潜在新增办学体、其他类型办学体、同类内部等五个方面,从宏观维度全面系统分析当前中外合作办学面临的系统性竞争态势。主要表现为:举办方投入呈现出政府财力与外方师资的双重聚集效应;用户评价呈现差异化诉求与认可度提升并存;替代品竞争呈现市场细分背景下的“错位竞争”格局;新进入者竞争呈现国家政策引导与高校发展需求助推市场扩充态势;同类内部竞争表现为举办方办学实力及社会声誉辐射衍生的分层现象。研究认为,中外合作办学应实施差异化竞争策略,彰显中外合作办学独特优势及特色;推进集中型战略,形成多元化办学格局;广泛吸纳各方资源,构建办学投入长效机制;有效提升社会发展贡献度,广泛提高认可度和知名度。