The Far Eastern Affairs N3 2020

Contents

POLITICS

R. Polonchuk.The Policy of the People`s Republic of China in Southeast Asia

E. Stepanova. The Review of Taiwan’s Social-Economic and Political Relations with Some Asian Countries and Perspectives of their Development

K. Asmolov. Two Koreas against COVID-19

I. Gordeeva. One Belt, One Road Initiative of China and the Position of Japan: Confrontation or Cooperation?

ECONOMICS

K. Korneev, V. Kistanov. China’s Energy Policy — its Own Unique Features and the Impact of Japan’s Experience

I. Balyuk. External Debt of China: Current State and Prospects

VIEW POINT

K. Merkulov. China’s Way to the Optimum Bioeconomics, Biofinance and Management: Some Conceptual Lessons for Russia

STATE AND SOCIETY

L. Afonina. PRC State Administration for Religious Affairs after Administrative Reform

THEORY AND METHODOLOGY

S. Makeeva. The History of the Formation of the System of Chinese Geographical Knowledge (Second Half of the XIX — the End of the XX Century)

V. Korsun. “Stratagemic Adaptation” of China in the Face of Enforced Inclusion in the Westfal System of International Relations

HISTORY

V. Myasnikov. Letters of Russian Administrators in the Beijing Archive

D. Arincheva. From the History of the Female Revolutionary Movement in China (on the 125th Birthday of Xiang Jingyu)

CULTURE

L. Sukhadolskaya. Humanitarian Cooperation between Russia and China

Annotations

R. Polonchuk. The Policy of the People’s Republic of China in Southeast Asia

The article considers the main directions of the policy of the People’s Republic of China in Southeast Asia. The analysis of political, trade, economic, cultural and educational measures of China to strengthen its influence in Southeast Asia is carried out. Particular attention is paid to the consideration of problematic issues of organizing trade and economic cooperation and ensuring regional security of the PRC together with the countries of Southeast Asia. The problem of the South China Sea in relations between China and ASEAN countries is considered.

Keywords: People’s Republic of China, Southeast Asia, trade and economic relations, cooperation, regional security, South China Sea.

E. Stepanova. The Review of Taiwan’s Social-Economic and Political Relations with Some Asian Countries and Perspectives of their Development

In the article there are considered the peculiarities of the undertaken by Taiwan so-called “South Bound” socio-economic policy concerning South-Eastern countries (and continental China) forced by the necessity for Taiwan socium to survive, develop without secession and strengthen its own status of full and equal partner in the concurrence of circumstances.

Keywords: South Bound policy, export reorientation, Taiwan’s international status.

K. Asmolov. Two Koreas against COVID-19

Both North and South Korea are interesting examples of successful struggle against COVID-19 — while DPRK almost immediately introduced strict quarantine and isolation regime, being able to prevent the virus from entering the country, ROK, while responding to the threat with some delay, also managed to curb the outbreak in the end.

In both countries, the fight against coronavirus has turned out to be a political issue, and therefore both States had invested as much as possible in solving the problem, using all the means of control according to the available technological level.

Although the policies of both Korean States may entail certain economic problems, Pyongyang and Seoul chose not so much between the health of the nation and the economic crisis, but rather between problems that are under the control of the state and the economic crisis that could occur as a result of losing control of the epidemic. At the same time, South Korea was forced to reckon with the domestic political situation, and North Korea — with a certain deficit in the hospital care system inside the country.

Keywords: pandemic, anti-epidemic measures, North Korea, Republic of Korea, coronavirus.

I. Gordeeva. One Belt, One Road Initiative of China and the Position of Japan: Confrontation or Cooperation?

The article is devoted to Japan’s reaction to the «One belt, One Road» initiative put forward by China and also to the formation of a Japanese strategy towards the PRC in the new conditions. The concept of the Indo-Pacific region developed by Japan and the United States is analyzed. There are attempts to involve India in the creation of an anti-Chinese «Quartet» of States with the participation of the United States, Japan, Australia and India. Alternative economic programs of Japan, its struggle with China for influence in Southeast Asia, and Tokyo’s attempts to prevent Chinese expansion in the South China sea are considered. Attention is drawn to the fact that Japanese society is growing in favor of establishing economic cooperation with Beijing in the countries of the region.

Keywords: Japan, China, One belt, One Road initiative, Indo-Pacific region, South China sea, alternative economy, economic confrontation.

K. Korneev V. Kistanov. China’s Energy Policy — its Own Unique Features and the Impact of Japan’s Experience

The principles of formation and implementation of China’s energy policy have undergone significant changes since the early 2000s, due to the strengthening of China’s geopolitical role in the world and its transformation into the largest exporter of primary energy resources, mostly crude oil and natural gas. Japanese experience played a noticeable role in this process — there is no doubt that the stages of development that Japan’s energy policy went through earlier are largely repeated now in China. The similarity of the countries, their export-oriented nature and the lack of their own fossil fuels affects them. Analysis and assessment of the specifics of China’s energy policy development, supplemented by Japanese experience, will allow us to more fully reveal the topic of the article, without focusing exclusively on internal Chinese problems.

Keywords: China’s energy policy, Japan’s experience, energy management institutions, energy market participants.

I. Balyuk. External Debt of China: Current State and Prospects

The paper focuses on analysis of dynamics, trends and specifics of the modern composition of external debt of China based on studying statistics compiled by the international financial institutions. On the basis of comparative analysis, the place of China in the structure of global external debt has been determined. After examination of the basic indicators of external debt sustainability the author makes a conclusion that at present China is in the area of a relatively low level of external debt risk, however rapidly growing short-term corporate external debt can create serious refinancing problems in the future.

Keywords: global external debt; external debt of China; public debt of China; corporate external debt; indicators of external debt sustainability.

K. Merkulov. China’s Way to the Optimum Bioeconomics, Biofinance and Management: Some Conceptual Lessons for Russia

The article discusses China’s experience in optimizing bioeconomics, biofinance and management in the plan of summing up the main conceptual lessons of these phenomena and processes for Russia, the new Union state and other advanced geocenters. The new theoretical and methodological assessments and system-synergetic predictions, formulated as a result of this study, permit the author to make the general conclusion that it is exactly the optimal bioeconomics, biofinance and management than present a strategic reference-point of the new truly good paradigm of integral social-economic, social-ecological, etc. development of Russia, the new Union state, CIS, China and the entire advanced part of humanity in the foreseeable future.

Keywords: the optimal bioeconomics, biofinance and integral management, the development strategies, Russia, the new Union state, CIS, China and other advanced geocenters.

L. Afonina. PRC State Administration for Religious Affairs after Administrative Reform

As part of the Party and State institutional reforms, at the 3rd plenary session of the 19th CPC Central Committee it was decided to abolish the State Administration for Religious Affairs as an organ of direct subordination to the State Council. SARA became part of the United Front Work Department of the CPC Central Committee, turning from a state executive body into a division of the party apparatus.

Special departments were formed in the structure of the United Front Work Department, the main functions of the SARA were transferred to it. The transformation was aimed at strengthening the role of the CPC in the management of the religious sphere.

Keywords: Religion, United front, sinicization of religions, United Front Work Department, SARA, administrative reform, CPC, State Council.

S. Makeeva. The History of the Formation of the System of Chinese Geographical Knowledge (Second Half of the XIX — the End of the XX Century)

The article discusses the features of studying the regional development of China in one of the determining directions, along with the economic one, in the analysis of various aspects of the construction, restoration and transformation of the national economy, the system of geographical knowledge of China in the period from the second half of the 19th century to the 20th century. The academic path of the development of geography is analyzed through studying the process of opening specialized geographical departments of geography in universities of the People’s Republic of China and training specialists in the field of geography, as well as the scientific and journalistic way of forming a system of Chinese geographical knowledge, through an analysis of the publication activity of Chinese scientists on the multi-aspect reflection of the process of regional development of China on the pages magazines «Geographical Journal» and «Geographical Gazette».

Keywords: intellectual history of China, system of geographical knowledge, geography, economic geography, problems of regional development.

V. Korsun. “Stratagemic Adaptation” of China in the Face of Enforced Inclusion in the Westfal System of International Relations

The defeat in the “opium wars” made a situation, when for the first time in history, the mechanism of cultural and biological assimilation of invaded “barbarians” by China did not work, and the empire was forced to adjust the centuries-old “Chinese world order” to the new system of international relationship. The violent nature of the inclusion of Qing China into the Westphalian system predetermined the desperate resistance and maneuvering of the Manchu court in the face of the European norms and rules of international communication. By studying original Chinese sources, the article characterizes China’s “stratagem adaptation” to foreign diplomatic practice, reveals its commonalities and peculiarities vis-a-vis the classical attributes of the “tributary system”, and testify parallel coexistence of the both.

On the base of examples — the creation of the Zongli yamen; the first Chinese mission, led by US citizen A. Burlingame; the first Chinese embassy in London, led by Guo Songtao, — the article demonstrate a set of tricks, mainly of a ritual-protocol nature, within the, «Self-reinforcement » policy of China. Particular attention is paid to the analysis of ethno-psycho-linguistic difficulties and nuances of mutual understanding within the framework of the growing «dialogue of civilizations.» According to the results of the study, the author concludes that nothing disappears in the “historical memory” of the people, and without such an excursion into history it is impossible to understand the real content and prospects of the “Chinese dream”.

Keywords: Qing imperia, tributary system, opium wars, koutou diplomacy, self-reinforcement, stratagemic tricks, Zongli Yamen, A. Burlingame, Guo Songtao, European etiquette and protocol, dialogue of civilizations.

V. Myasnikov. Letters of Russian Administrators in the Beijing Archive

The material prepared by one of the most famous modern Russian sinologists — academician of the RAS V.S. Myasnikov, contains archival documents previously unknown in Russian historiography, which were discovered by the author at the Museum of the Imperial Palace (Gugun) in Beijing. Letters from Russian officials to the regional rulers of the Qing Imperial Court reflect the specifics and nature of relations between Russia and China in the first quarter of the 19th century.

Keywords: Russia, China, relations, archives, letters, Governor, Irkutsk, Urga rulers.

D. Arincheva. From the History of the Female Revolutionary Movement in China (on the 125th Birthday of Xiang Jingyu)

This year, September 4 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of one of the first Chinese Communists, the main organizer and leader of the women’s revolutionary movement in China, Xiang Jingyu (1895–1928). Her life, devoted to the struggle for the freedom of China and the emancipation of women, is fanned by legend, and her heroic death during the period of white terror causes deep respect. Her name is on a par with the names of the main characters of the Chinese revolution.

Keywords: history of the CCP, women’s movement, Xiang Jingyu, Cai Hesen, white terror.

L. Sukhadolskaya. Humanitarian Cooperation between Russia and China

The article deals with the current state of the process of humanitarian interaction between Russia and China. The humanitarian ties of the two countries are enriched with new content, are multifaceted and complex. The important component of a comprehensive strategic partnership between Russia and China is cooperation between the regions of the two countries. The report concludes that humanitarian ties between Russia and China at all levels and in various areas give a powerful impetus to the further development of relations between the two countries, adapt to the needs of a new era and serve to strengthen mutual understanding between our peoples.

Keywords: Russia, China, Russian-Chinese relations, humanitarian exchange, cooperation.