China’s Health Care and Foreign Investment

Image: George Hodan, Cardiogram Pulse Trace (Publicdomainpictures.net)

世界卫生组织预测,与2018年相比,2025年中国会有更多人享有更好的健康和福祉,新增的人数将接近3.6亿。为了实现这个目标和其他目标,并应对中国人口结构重大变化带来的医疗保健挑战,中国领导层采取了各种措施,包括允许在九个地方建立外商独资医院。这些措施应该会受欢迎。然而,一个主要问题在于中国是否已准备好修改法律规则,以降低与医疗实践相关的法律风险。这是因为潜在的刑事后果可能会使外国医疗专业人士却步,不愿意在中国执业。Read more

China’s Health Care and Foreign Investment

Image: George Hodan, Cardiogram Pulse Trace (Publicdomainpictures.net)

The World Health Organization has projected that, compared with 2018, nearly 360 million more people in China will enjoy improvements in health and wellbeing in 2025. To meet this target, among others, and to prepare for health care challenges arising from significant demographic changes occurring in China, the Chinese leadership has introduced various measures, including allowing the establishment of wholly foreign-owned hospitals in nine localities. These measures are welcome. However, a major problem lies in whether China is ready to amend legal rules to reduce the legal risks associated with medical practice as potential criminal consequences are likely to deter foreign medical professionals from practicing in China.Read more

China’s Preparations for Challenges from the West

Image: Reddy Dendoktoor, New Year, 2025, Greeting Card (Publicdomainpictures.net)

回顾中国2024年的重要发展,可以发现“金砖国家”和“技术”是今年头条新闻的两个核心主题,因为中国致力于增强抵御西方日益严峻挑战的能力。这些发展在 2025 年会如何演变?它们会把中国引向何方?答案尚不清楚。但可以确定的是,中国在过去一年取得的某些令人瞩目的成就,例如月球探索,将使中国有胆量在2025年做出进一步与西方分道扬镳的选择。西方的政策制定者应该思考,他们的行动是否有助于将中国推向更令人担忧的对手。Read more

China’s Preparations for Challenges from the West

Image: Reddy Dendoktoor, New Year, 2025, Greeting Card (Publicdomainpictures.net)

A review of China’s key developments in 2024 reveals that the “BRICS” and “technology” were two central themes behind this year’s headlines, as the country focuses on strengthening its ability to withstand growing challenges from the West. How will these developments evolve in 2025? Where will they lead China? The answer is not yet clear. What is clear, however, is that certain of the remarkable successes China has achieved this past year, such as its exploration of the Moon, will likely embolden the nation to make choices in 2025 that will cause it to diverge further from the West. Policymakers in the West should ponder whether their actions are serving to push China away and towards adversaries of greater concern.Read more

Law, Order, and China’s Global Leadership

Image: Gerd Altmann, One Humanity (Publicdomainpictures.net)

中国为修订其“小刑法”而做出的努力得到了赞扬,因为最新的修订草案反映了当局对公众意见的积极回应。如果该法引起广泛关注的关键条款最终能够得到明确改进,中国将能获得更多来自联合国——其刚刚完成了对中国人权记录的第四轮普遍定期审议——的支持。过去十年,中国通过联合国增强了对其他成员国的影响力。因此,联合国强而有力的支持,对中国在日益充满争议的世界中发展其全球领导力是至关重要的。Read more

Law, Order, and China’s Global Leadership

Image: Gerd Altmann, One Humanity (Publicdomainpictures.net)

China’s ongoing effort to amend its “mini-criminal law” has drawn praises because the latest draft amendment reflects the authorities’ positive responses to public comments. If key provisions that have aroused widespread concerns can be ultimately improved with clarity, China will be able to gain more support from the United Nations, which just completed its fourth-cycle Universal Periodic Review of China’s human rights record. Strong support from the United Nations—through which China has increased its influence with other member states in the past decade—is crucial to China’s development of its global leadership in an increasingly contentious world.Read more

Lunar Time and the BRICS’s Space Ambitions

Image: Victoria Borodinova, Planet, Solar System, Comet, Space, Sky (Publicdomainpictures.net)

中美两国为制定标准月球时间而展开的竞赛引起了全球关注。然而,将月球时间标准化只是第一步。真正的竞赛在于,美国或中国制定的时间能否有效应用于其他国家可从中获益的太空行动。如果其他国家看到成果,这将确保他们持续认可应用于让其受益的太空行动的月球时间。只有得到如此坚实的支持,被认可的月球时间才会成为盛行的标准。中国最近推出了一项分三阶段进行的计划,将该国的计时系统应用于一系列月球行动。凭借其太空领域的雄心,不断壮大的金砖国家或许能够帮助中国实现其三阶段计划并分享该计划的成功果实。当这种情况发生时,中国的月球时间就有很大机会占上风了。Read more

Lunar Time and the BRICS’s Space Ambitions

Image: Victoria Borodinova, Planet, Solar System, Comet, Space, Sky (Publicdomainpictures.net)

The U.S.-China race to set a standard lunar time has captured global attention. Standardizing lunar time is, however, only the first step. The real race lies in whether any time set by the United States or China can be applied effectively to space operations from which other countries can benefit. If other countries see results, this will ensure their sustained endorsement of the lunar time used in the operations benefiting them. Only with such solid support will the endorsed lunar time become the prevailing standard. China recently rolled out a three-stage plan to apply its timing system to a series of lunar operations. With its space ambitions, the expanding BRICS may be able to help China bring its three-stage plan to fruition and share the fruits of such success. When this happens, China’s lunar time has a good chance to prevail.Read more

China’s Education and Africa-East Asia Relations

Images: Linnaea Mallette, Graduation Cap;
Dawn Hudson, Silver Map (Publicdomainpictures.net)

国家主席习近平最近提出了未来三年中国与非洲合作实施的十大伙伴行动。这些行动以推进现代化为重点,有望激励非洲年轻人到中国接受大学教育,获取相关知识和技能,并且建立强大的中非网络。一项研究所揭示的趋势表明,在中国深造可能会为非洲年轻人带来更多收获:他们与中国日益壮大的东亚学生群体的互动将使他们做好充分准备,成为非洲和东亚之间有效的中介,因为东亚正积极寻求挖掘非洲的巨大潜力。Read more

China’s Education and Africa-East Asia Relations

Images: Linnaea Mallette, Graduation Cap;
Dawn Hudson, Silver Map (Publicdomainpictures.net)

President XI Jinping recently outlined ten partnership actions for China and Africa to jointly take in the next three years. Focusing on advancing modernization, these actions will likely motivate young Africans to pursue education in China to acquire related knowledge and skills and to build strong China-Africa networks. Trends revealed by a recent study suggest that furthering education in China may produce additional results for young Africans: their interactions with growing East Asian student communities in China will also prepare them well to become effective intermediaries between Africa and East Asia, as the latter actively seeks to tap into Africa’s tremendous potential.Read more

Hong Kong’s Land Leases & Asia’s Prosperity and Stability

Images: Jean Beaufort, Travel Poster;
Yinan Chen, Hong Kong City Buildings (Publicdomainpictures.net)

7月初,香港一项新法例将这座前英国管治的城市近400份的土地租契续期50年,这些租契的有效期因而跨越2047年6月30日——一个关键日期,因其标志着香港自1997年回归中国以来所实行经北京批准的治理体系可能终结。更多的土地租契将以同样的方式续期。如果此具有广泛影响的租契续期问题得到妥善处理,北京将能够为香港乃至亚洲的繁荣与稳定做出重大贡献。Read more

Hong Kong’s Land Leases & Asia’s Prosperity and Stability

Images: Jean Beaufort, Travel Poster;
Yinan Chen, Hong Kong City Buildings (Publicdomainpictures.net)

In early July, a new Hong Kong law extended nearly 400 land leases in the formerly British-governed city for another 50 years, making the leases go beyond June 30, 2047—the critical date marking the potential expiry of the Beijing-approved governance system operating in the city since its handover to China in 1997. More leases are expected to be extended in the same manner. If the extension of these leases—which has broad implications—is handled well, Beijing will be able to significantly contribute to the prosperity and stability of not only Hong Kong, but also Asia.Read more

China’s Promotion of Case-Based Legal Reasoning in the BRICS

Images: George Hodan, Judge Gavel;
Maliz Ong, Black and White Brick Wall (Publicdomainpictures.net)

2018年,我与两位作者合著了一篇题为《案例文化在中国内外的传播》。我们分析了当时中国最高人民法院已发布的 96 个指导性案例(即:事实上具有约束力的案例)是如何在全国各地法院判决的 1,281 起后续案件中被引用的。我们得出了此结论:“指导性案例的初步成功似乎为中国案例文化的传播提供了肥沃的土壤,而鉴于中国渴望增加其在世界各地的影响,中国案例文化可能有机会在其他地方传播。6月中旬,一个机会出现了,让中国可以在金砖国家推广以案例为基础的法律推理文化。Read more

China’s Promotion of Case-Based Legal Reasoning in the BRICS

Images: George Hodan, Judge Gavel;
Maliz Ong, Black and White Brick Wall (Publicdomainpictures.net)

In 2018, I co-authored an article titled Propagation of a Case Culture in China and Potentially Beyond.  Based on an analysis of how 96 Guiding Cases, de facto binding cases released by China’s Supreme People’s Court available at the time, had been referenced in 1,281 subsequent cases decided by courts across the country, my co-authors and I drew this conclusion: “the preliminary success of [Guiding Cases] seems to have provided fertile ground for the propagation of a case culture in China and, given the country’s eagerness to increase its presence around the world, this culture may have a chance to be propagated elsewhere.”  Just such an opportunity for China to propagate a culture of applying case-based legal reasoning in the BRICS arose in mid-June.Read more

India’s Election Results & Central China’s “Accelerated Rise”

Images: Gerd Altmann, Colorful India;
Peter Griffin, Afternoon Lunch (Publicdomainpictures.net)

印度总理莫迪领导的印度人民党未能在议会下院获得多数席位,也未能在传统上支持该党的邦维持其受欢迎程度,这一失败的一个重要教训是,印度迫切需要解决经济不平等问题。莫迪总理面临越来越大的压力,他必须在第三任期内向那些尚未从印度进步中受益的人们实现强劲的经济表现。中国也面临着类似的挑战。该国领导层正在推出旨在支持中部地区“加快崛起”的新措施。鉴于印度与中国的竞争日益激烈,中国如何实现这一目标应会引起印度及其盟友的强烈关注。Read more

India’s Election Results & Central China’s “Accelerated Rise”

Images: Gerd Altmann, Colorful India;
Peter Griffin, Afternoon Lunch (Publicdomainpictures.net)

A key lesson from the failure of Prime Minister Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (“BJP”) to secure a majority in the lower house of India’s parliament and to sustain its popularity in traditionally pro-BJP states is the pressing need to solve the issue of economic inequality in India. Mr. Modi faces mounting pressure to deliver during his third term as India’s Prime Minister a strong economic performance to those who have not yet benefited from India’s progress. Similar challenges are being faced by Chinese leaders, who are rolling out new measures aimed at supporting the “accelerated rise” of Central China. Given India’s growing competition with China, how China plans to accomplish this goal should be of significant interest to India and its allies.Read more

China’s Policy for Central Asia: Lessons from Southeast Asia & More

Image: Svetlana Tikhonova, Bukhara, Uzbekistan (Publicdomainpictures.net)

近期成立的中国—中亚机制秘书处,是中国与哈萨克斯坦、吉尔吉斯斯坦、塔吉克斯坦、土库曼斯坦、乌兹别克斯坦向“全方位推动中国—中亚合作”迈出的关键一步。中国表示希望“给六国人民带来更多福祉”。在世界日益担心贫困和社会边缘化可能导致中亚恐怖活动增多的情况下,这一愿望尤其受欢迎。中方如何将这一愿望变为现实?最近一项显示了东南亚民众对中国给予前所未有的高水平支持的调查,提供了一些有用的经验教训以作参考。Read more

China’s Policy for Central Asia: Lessons from Southeast Asia & More

Image: Svetlana Tikhonova, Bukhara, Uzbekistan (Publicdomainpictures.net)

The recent establishment of the Secretariat for the China-Central Asia Mechanism represents a key step taken by China as well as Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan, to “comprehensively promote [their] cooperation”. China has expressed its wish to “bring more benefits to the people” of the five Central Asian nations. This wish is especially welcome amidst the world’s growing concerns that poverty and social marginalization might have contributed to the rise of terrorist activities in Central Asia. How can China turn this wish into reality? A recent survey showing Southeast Asians’ unprecedented level of support for China provides some useful lessons for reference.Read more

AI & Zambia Put Biden’s “No-Conflict Competition” with China to the Test

Image: Victoria Borodinova, Chess, Chess Board, Chess Club (Publicdomainpictures.net)

美国总统乔·拜登在其国情咨文中声称,他“希望与中国竞争,而不是冲突”。距离下届美国总统选举还有不到八个月的时间,拜登总统需要证明他值得连任总统,以完成各项工作,包括巩固美国在两个关键领域的领导地位:(1)先进技术的开发和应用,以及(2)与对美国具有战略重要性的国家建立牢固的关系。两项最新事态发展使拜登总统与中国“无冲突地竞争”的计划经受考验。Read more

AI & Zambia Put Biden’s “No-Conflict Competition” with China to the Test

Image: Victoria Borodinova, Chess, Chess Board, Chess Club (Publicdomainpictures.net)

In his State of the Union Address, President Joe Biden asserted that he “want[s] competition with China, not conflict”. With less than eight months before the next U.S. presidential election, President Biden needs to show that he deserves another presidential term to, among other tasks, solidify the country’s leadership in two critical areas: (1) the development and application of advanced technologies, and (2) the establishment of strong ties with foreign countries that are strategically important to the United States. Two recent developments are putting President Biden’s “no-conflict competition” with China to the test.Read more