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3141. U.S.-China Trilateral Aid Cooperation: Features, Prospects, and Recommendations

Author:
Dhenghua Zhang
Publication Date:
01-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
East-West Center
Abstract:
The current trade war between China and the United States has drawn global attention to competition in U.S.-China relations. Such competition should not, however, obscure areas of mutual interest where cooperation is possible. Based on U.S.-China trilateral pilot projects, trilateral cooperation creates opportunities for aid officials and practitioners from China and the United States to communicate, but it would be ambitious to expect the limited number of pilot projects to shape Chinese aid practices or improve Chinese aid performances in the short term. These pilot projects are small in scale, and the level of coordination between China and the United States should be strengthened further. More effort by both sides is needed if trilateral aid cooperation is to sustain and even thrive. In this context, trilateral aid cooperation has the potential to become a modality in the middle, promoting mutual understanding and facilitating coordination.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3142. Joko Widodo’s Re-Election and Indonesia’s Domestically Anchored Foreign Policy

Author:
Dhenghua Zhang
Publication Date:
08-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
East-West Center
Abstract:
On July 14, newly re-elected Indonesian incumbent President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo delivered a speech on his visions for the second term, set to kick off in October 2019. The president’s speech did not touch upon foreign policy, a subject many have claimed to be his weakness. Expectedly, Jokowi focused his speech on infrastructure and economy — which reflects the administration’s main concerns since he first assumed presidential office in 2014. This does not mean, however, that Indonesia under Jokowi has been neglecting foreign affairs.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3143. Emerging Trends in India-U.S Oil and Gas Engagement

Author:
Sujata Ashwarya
Publication Date:
01-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
East-West Center
Abstract:
Oil and gas trade is emerging as a new area of engagement between India and the United States against the backdrop of increasingly complementary interests. The emergence of the United States as the world’s top oil and gas producer in the last few years dovetails perfectly with India’s energy-deficient status and growing demand. With high rates of economic growth and over 17 percent of the world’s population, India’s energy consumption growth is largely fed by foreign imports of fossil fuels.
Topic:
International Political Economy
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3144. Taoboa Villages: Rural E-Commerce and Low End Manufacturing in China

Author:
Fan Lulu
Publication Date:
01-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
East-West Center
Abstract:
Taobao is the leading Chinese online shopping and e-commerce website, founded by the Alibaba Group. In 2018, there were 3,202 "Taobao villages" in 24 provinces, municipalities, and autonomous regions of China. Taobao merchants sell clothing and other consumer items, mostly obtained from small local factories. Most Taobao manufacturing firms operate informally and do not necessarily adhere to basic labor and safety standards. The current lack of governance raises challenges for trade unions and government entities tasked with ensuring the rights and welfare of workers. If the negative aspects related to lack of oversight can be addressed, however, Taobao villages could provide a promising development model for rural and remote areas, not only in China but also in other countries of Asia.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3145. Australia's Approach to the South China Sea

Author:
Rebecca Strating
Publication Date:
07-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
East-West Center
Abstract:
Over the past five years, Australia has expressed concern over China’s island building, militarization of land features, and excessive maritime claims in the South China Sea (SCS). Australia shares similar interests with the United States in upholding the maritime rules-based order, yet there are important divergences that reflect differing perspectives on geostrategic competition in the Indo-Pacific. While bipartisan support for the U.S. alliance remains strong, the importance of protecting trade relations with China has also shaped Canberra’s response to the SCS disputes.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3146. Belt and Road Initiative 2.0 Qualitatively Different

Author:
N Janardhan
Publication Date:
01-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
East-West Center
Abstract:
Following five years of periodic controversies and criticism – some factual, others contrived – President Xi Jinping used the Belt and Road (BRI) Forum in April to set the agenda for the next five years of his hallmark project. At the forum’s second edition, meant to promote a “stronger partnership network,” the Chinese leader pledged to “clean up,” stressed “zero tolerance” to corruption, and emphasized readiness to adopt “internationally acceptable” standards in the bidding process of BRI projects in the future. This language indicates Beijing’s openness to constructive criticism and willingness to objectively tweak some inherent weaknesses in the strategy and implementation mechanisms for the BRI during the 2013-2018 period. It also sets the stage for the start of “BRI 2.0,” where the stress is likely to be on the qualitative, rather than just quantitative, attributes. The following are some analytical pointers on how BRI 2.0 is likely to be different from version 1.0, especially keeping in mind what Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs Wang Yi referred to as a “high-quality” shift from “big freehand” to “fine brushwork” in planning BRI’s future projects
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3147. Foreseeing India-China Relations: The Compromised Context of Rapprochement

Author:
Ranjan K. Panda
Publication Date:
01-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
East-West Center
Abstract:
India-China relations witnessed a new wave of optimism for a progressive and engaging partnership following the Wuhan Summit, the informal 2018 meeting between Narendra Modi and Xi Jinping. Key to this has been continuous exchange of political and official visits from both sides. However, these exchanges might not be sufficient to remove uncertainty and suspicion from their relations. As long as China’s relationship with the United States remains adversarial, China will embrace India—without guaranteeing that it will not adopt a confrontational posture in the future. Their shifting relations, though suggesting an official longing for an upward trajectory, are based on a compromised context. External circumstances have pushed them to rapprochement, but could also drive them apart. Whether India and China will sustain this rapprochement is difficult to foresee.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3148. Overestimating the Power if China's BRI- Lessons Drawn from Japanese ODA Engagement

Author:
Raymond Yamamoto
Publication Date:
01-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
East-West Center
Abstract:
China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013 is among the most ambitious global visions promoted by one country. The general goal of BRI is the provision of economic infrastructure worth at least $1 trillion to improve the land and sea routes between Asia, Africa, and Europe. In order to attract additional international investments to finance the initiative, China even created a multilateral bank – the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) — in 2015. However, China’s ambitious BRI strategy has met considerable criticism from politicians and policy-makers, journalists, analysts, and scholars. These criticisms include accusations of pursuing debt-trap diplomacy to gain concessions from countries participating in BRI. The decision of Sri Lanka in 2018 to lease Hambantota port to China in order to reduce its BRI debt burden is often cited as a prime example. Together with growing Chinese military strength and assertiveness in the South and East China Seas, BRI is being framed as an instrument deployed by China to build up its global dominance.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
China

3149. The Scrutiny of the European Defence Fund by the European Parliament and national parliaments

Author:
European Union Institute for Security Studies
Publication Date:
01-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
European Union Institute for Security Studies
Abstract:
Since 2016, the European Union has developed a number of new initiatives on security and defence. In particular, the introduction of Permanent Structured Cooperation and the European Defence Fund have been designed to allow the EU to become a more autonomous actor with regard to crisis management, capacity building and protecting Europe and its citizens. Yet the development of these new initiatives raises questions about their overall coherence and the role of parliamentary scrutiny. It is necessary to analyse the role of the European Parliament and national parliaments in relation to the scrutiny of the European Defence Fund. There is a need for recommendations on how parliamentary scrutiny can be enhanced at the EU level in the area of security and defence
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus

3150. Resilience in the Western Balkans

Author:
Sabina Kajnc
Publication Date:
01-2019
Content Type:
Special Report
Institution:
European Union Institute for Security Studies
Abstract:
According to the 2016 EU Global Strategy, a credible accession process grounded in strict and fair conditionality is essential to foster resilience in the Western Balkans.
Topic:
International Affairs
Political Geography:
Global Focus