Search

This paper examines how Chinese transnational investments, as (re)framed in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), contribute to changes in urbanisation processes in Southeast Asia. On the ground, the BRI becomes contextualised and intersects with local and national development trajectories. The growing presence of Chinese actors in the region intensifies urban dynamics, especially in secondary cities and emerging urban sites, where the BRI is used as a lever for local internationalisation strategies. The heterogeneous nature of the links between the BRI and various large urban projects is demonstrated on the basis of case studies involving changing consortia of private and public Chinese and Southeast Asian actors. A regional approach allows us to identify connections and shared processes across Southeast Asian countries. It provides a historically grounded understanding of how the BRI incorporates long‐term interactions with China and more recent partnerships in Southeast Asian countries. The paper paves the way for a research agenda that contests the image of China as a monolithic actor implementing the BRI uniformly and consistently. Further analyses are needed to examine systems and networks of actors as well as the local urban politics that affect the BRI on the ground. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moisture sources and transport processes play a critical part in hydrological cycle and determine regional precipitation. This paper utilizes the Water Accounting Model‐2layers (WAM‐2layers) and the ERA5 reanalysis data to track the sources of precipitation over the Pearl River Basin (PRB). The contribution of external moisture and the role of local recycling are investigated. The results show that during the period from 1980 to 2020, oceanic sources including the western North Pacific and Indian Oceans serve as the primary moisture sources of precipitation over the PRB. The contributions to total seasonal precipitation are respectively 62.57% in MAM, 54.79% in JJA, 43.70% in SON and 60.88% in DJF. By contrast, the contribution of local recycling is generally below 5.50%. In the dry years of 1994, 1997 and 2001, the contribution of terrestrial sources is about 19.22%; in the wet years of 1989, 2009 and 2011, the contribution is about 16.31%. The summer precipitation anomalies are mainly attributable to moisture anomalies from the Equatorial Indian Ocean in the wet years and from Southeast Asia in the dry years. Furthermore, vertically integrated moisture flux anomalies over the boundaries of the PRB are generally the result of anomalous wind rather than anomalous moisture. In the wet years, low‐pressure systems induce strong cyclonic moisture transports, increasing the PRB precipitation. In the dry years, high‐pressure anomalies over the PRB block the moisture transports from the Indian Ocean and western North Pacific. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With China's economic rise and influence, financial statecraft has increasingly been deployed to serve the country's national interest. The growth of China's financial statecraft in the region has drawn greater media and academic attention. Notwithstanding the abundant literature on China's financial statecraft in Southeast Asia, the previous studies lack a detailed analysis of various financial statecraft instruments deployed by China. To get a better understanding of China's deployment of financial statecraft over the years under Xi Jinping's administration, this article fills the gap in the existing literature by delving into various factors that influenced various financial statecraft instruments with respect to the objectives, trends or patterns and agencies involved in the region. Given Xi's successful bid for continued political rule by eliminating a term limit on the presidency as well as the escalating China-US strategic rivalry, it is important to examine how the interaction of domestic and international forces has shaped the evolution of financial statecraft in Southeast Asia. Due to the changes in domestic politics and shifts in the geopolitics and geoeconomics, an important question that deserves our attention is how these changes has influenced China's deployment of various financial statecraft instruments in different Southeast Asian countries. The paper focuses on two middle-income countries (i.e., Malaysia and Thailand) and two low-income countries (i.e. Cambodia and Laos) in the region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dragon fruit is one of the most popular fruits in China and Southeast Asia. It, however, is mainly picked manually, imposing high labor intensity on farmers. The hard branches and complex postures of dragon fruit make it difficult to achieve automated picking. For picking dragon fruits with diverse postures, this paper proposes a new dragon fruit detection method, not only to identify and locate the dragon fruit, but also to detect the endpoints that are at the head and root of the dragon fruit, which can provide more visual information for the dragon fruit picking robot. First, YOLOv7 is used to locate and classify the dragon fruit. Then, we propose a PSP-Ellipse method to further detect the endpoints of the dragon fruit, including dragon fruit segmentation via PSPNet, endpoints positioning via an ellipse fitting algorithm and endpoints classification via ResNet. To test the proposed method, some experiments are conducted. In dragon fruit detection, the precision, recall and average precision of YOLOv7 are 0.844, 0.924 and 0.932, respectively. YOLOv7 also performs better compared with some other models. In dragon fruit segmentation, the segmentation performance of PSPNet on dragon fruit is better than some other commonly used semantic segmentation models, with the segmentation precision, recall and mean intersection over union being 0.959, 0.943 and 0.906, respectively. In endpoints detection, the distance error and angle error of endpoints positioning based on ellipse fitting are 39.8 pixels and 4.3°, and the classification accuracy of endpoints based on ResNet is 0.92. The proposed PSP-Ellipse method makes a great improvement compared with two kinds of keypoint regression method based on ResNet and UNet. Orchard picking experiments verified that the method proposed in this paper is effective. The detection method proposed in this paper not only promotes the progress of the automatic picking of dragon fruit, but it also provides a reference for other fruit detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on Liner Shipping Bilateral Connectivity Index and Port Liner Shipping Con‐ nectivity Index developed by UNCTAD, this paper constructs complex network with countries/ regions and ports as nodes respectively, explores the hierarchical structure and its spatial and temporal evolution of the Maritime Silk Road ports network. The results show that: (1) The ports network forms a pattern centered on China, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, Europe, and presents a small world as whole, which consistent with the "core-edge" theory; (2) In terms of the hierarchy of the ports network, when countries/regions are used as nodes, they can be divided into four categories: core, semi-core, semi-fringe and fringe; when ports are used as nodes, they can be divided into four categories: core ports, semi-core ports, trunk ports and feeder ports; (3) In terms of spatial and temporal evolution of port networks, among the eight sub-networks formed by 124 ports, the sub-networks of China, Southeast Asia, Europe, North Africa and sub)Saharan Africa are consistent with the whole, showing a trend of decentralization and equaliza‐ tion. The sub-networks of South Asia and West Asia are in the fluctuating stage, and the sub-net‐ works of Northeast Asia show a trend of clustering, and the spatial auto-correlation of each port sub-network is strong. The core status of China, Northeast Asia and Southeast Asia have been consolidated; (4) The evolution of network is influenced by cooperation mechanisms, policies and strategies, technological progress, the scale effect and polarization effects of ports. These conclusions provide theoretical basis for China to promote the MSR interconnection, ports coop‐ eration and rational layout of liner shipping routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Group Model Building (GMB) is a participatory system dynamics method increasingly used to address complex public health issues like obesity. GMB represents a set of well-defined steps to engage key stakeholders to identify shared drivers and solutions of a given problem. However, GMB has not yet been applied specifically to develop multi-duty interventions that address multiple inter-related issues such as malnutrition in all its forms (MIAIF). Moreover, a recent systematic review of empirical applications of a systems approach to developing obesity interventions found no published work from non-western, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). In this paper we describe adaptations and innovations to a common GMB process to co-develop systemic MIAIF interventions with Chinese decision-makers. Methods: We developed, piloted and implemented multiple cultural adaptations and two methodological innovations to the commonly used GMB process in Fang Cheng Gang city, China. We included formal, ceremonial and policy maker engagement events before and between GMB workshops, and incorporated culturally tailored arrangements during participant recruitment (officials of the same seniority level joined the same workshop) and workshop activities (e.g., use of individual scoring activities and hand boards). We made changes to the commonly used GMB activities which enabled mapping of shared drivers of multiple health issues (in our case MIAIF) in a single causal loop diagram. We developed and used a 'hybrid' GMB format combining online and in person facilitation to reduce travel and associated climate impact. Results: Our innovative GMB process led to high engagement and support from decision-makers representing diverse governmental departments across the whole food systems. We co-identified and prioritised systemic drivers and intervention themes of MIAIF. The city government established an official Local Action Group for long-term, inter-departmental implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the co-developed interventions. The 'hybrid' GMB format enabled great interactions while reducing international travel and mitigating limitations of fully online GMB process. Conclusions: Cultural and methodological adaptations to the common GMB process for an Asian LMIC setting were successful. The 'hybrid' GMB format is feasible, cost-effective, and more environmentally friendly. These cultural adaptations could be considered for other Asian settings and beyond to address inter-related, complex issues such as MIAIF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the launch of the BRI, particular modes of movement are integral to its vision of what it means to be a modern world citizen. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Southeast Asia, where China-backed infrastructure projects expand, and at great speed. Such infrastructure projects are carriers of particular versions of modernity, promising rapid mobility to populations better connected than ever before. Yet, until now, little attention has been paid to how mobility and promises of mobility intersect with local understandings of development. In the introduction to this special issue, we argue that it is essential to think about the role infrastructure plays in forms of development that place connectivity at the center. We suggest that considering development, mobility and modernity together is enlightening because it interrogates the connections between these interlocking themes. Through an introduction to five ethnographically grounded papers and two commentaries, all of which engage with infrastructures in different contexts throughout Southeast Asia, we demonstrate that there are significant gaps between official policy and lived experience. This makes the need to interrogate what infrastructure, mobilities, and global China really mean all the more pressing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a method for joint sea surface rainfall intensity (RI), wind speed, and wave height retrieval based on spaceborne global navigation satellite system reflectometry (GNSS-R) data is proposed, which especially considers the effects between these two parameters. A method of rainfall detection (RD) according to different wind speed ranges is also proposed by mitigating the impact of swell and wind speed. The results, with data collected over the oceans near Southeast Asia, show that the RD method has a detection accuracy of up to 81.74%. The RI retrieval accuracy can reach about 2 mm/h by simultaneously correcting the effects of wind speed and swell. The accuracy of wind speed retrieval is improved by about 5% after removing rainfall interference through RD in advance. After considering the influence of wind speed and eliminating rainfall interference, the retrieval accuracy of significant wave height (SWH) is improved by about 18%. Finally, the deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) model is built to estimate the SWH of the swell. The results show that the retrieval accuracy of the swell height is better than 0.20 m after excluding rainfall interference. The proposed joint retrieval method provides an important reference for the future acquisition of multiple high-precision marine geophysical parameters by spaceborne GNSS-R technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is a great demand for dragon fruit in China and Southeast Asia. Manual picking of dragon fruit requires a lot of labor. It is imperative to study the dragon fruit-picking robot. The visual guidance system is an important part of a picking robot. To realize the automatic picking of dragon fruit, this paper proposes a detection method of dragon fruit based on RDE-YOLOv7 to identify and locate dragon fruit more accurately. RepGhost and decoupled head are introduced into YOLOv7 to better extract features and better predict results. In addition, multiple ECA blocks are introduced into various locations of the network to extract effective information from a large amount of information. The experimental results show that the RDE-YOLOv7 improves the precision, recall, and mean average precision by 5.0%, 2.1%, and 1.6%. The RDE-YOLOv7 also has high accuracy for fruit detection under different lighting conditions and different blur degrees. Using the RDE-YOLOv7, we build a dragon fruit picking system and conduct positioning and picking experiments. The spatial positioning error of the system is only 2.51 mm, 2.43 mm, and 1.84 mm. The picking experiments indicate that the RDE-YOLOv7 can accurately detect dragon fruits, theoretically supporting the development of dragon fruit-picking robots. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence and intensification of transcontinental exchange during both the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age profoundly influenced the social history of Eurasia. While scholars have intensively discussed east-west long-distance communication along the proto-Silk Road, the north-south transport networks that connected China to South and Southeast Asia during the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age have attracted much less attention in the scholarly literature based on archeological science data. In this paper, we find new radiocarbon dates from 11 Neolithic and Bronze Age sites in northwestern and central Yunnan in Southwest China, a key entrance into South and Southeast Asia from China. Combined with previously published archeological records and radiocarbon dates, we attempt to disentangle and understand the timing and routes of the networks linking China to South and Southeast Asia during the Late Neolithic and Bronze Age. We propose three north-south land routes that played essential roles in the cultural exchanges in addition to the proto-Silk Road and maritime routes. This includes the trans-Himalayan routes, trans-Hengduan Mountain routes, and the trans-Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau routes. The north-south exchange between China and South and Southeast Asia probably emerged in the fifth millennium BP (before the present) mainly through a low-frequency trans-Yunnan–Guizhou Plateau and trans-Himalayan routes. The exchange frequency significantly increased after the fourth millennium BP, with the synchronous development of the three primary north-south passageways. Trans-Hengduan routes might have been the most crucial artery connecting China and South and Southeast Asia during 3000–2200 BP, but more archeological records are needed to understand the detailed evolution of these transport networks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two new species of the thread-legged bug genus Ademula McAtee & Malloch, 1926 (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Emesinae: Emesini, formerly Ploiariolini) from China, A. callipennis, new species, and A. corniculata, new species, are described and illustrated in the present paper. COI barcodes of these two new species and an updated key to the Oriental species of Ademula are provided. The distribution of Ademula in East and Southeast Asia is briefly discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty years ago Robert Blust published a comprehensive, comparative analysis of what he called the 'thunder complex'. Found among linguistically and culturally diverse populations in the Philippines, Indonesia, and peninsular Malaysia, the complex comprises a series of taboos and rites that centre on a belief that certain actions involving a confusion of categories will bring about a punitive storm and the death of offenders in resulting floods, landslides, or lightning strikes. The most typical and widespread of such taboos concern making fun of animals—for example, by dressing them in human clothes, talking to them, or otherwise making them appear ridiculous and so causing people to laugh. The present paper has three objectives. First, I identify a series of rituals performed by adherents of the complex that involve deliberately breaking taboos on animal mockery in order to produce needed rain. Secondly, I introduce a ceremony performed by ethnic minorities in southwestern China for the same purpose. The ceremony has all the hallmarks of the thunder complex and coexists with taboos on making fun of animals. Finally, I discuss what the complex, found among otherwise culturally and linguistic diverse societies, implies for their ontology in regard to human‐animal relations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is one of the most common types of cancers in South China and Southeast Asia. Clinical data has shown that early detection is essential for improving treatment effectiveness and survival rate. Unfortunately, because the early symptoms of NPC are rather minor and similar to that of diseases such as Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS), early detection is a challenge. This paper proposes using machine learning methods to detect NPC using routine medical test data, namely Random Forest (RF), Support Vector Machine (SVM), and Artificial Neural Network (ANN), k-Nearest-Neighbor (KNN) and Logistic Regression (LR). We collected a dataset containing 523 newly diagnosed NPC patients before treatment, 501 newly diagnosed CRS patients before treatment as well as 600 healthy controls. The routine medical test data including age, gender, blood test features, liver function test features, and urine sediment test features. For comparison, we also used data from Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) antibody tests, which is a specialized test not included among routine medical tests. In our first test, all four methods were tested on classifying NPC vs CRS vs controls; RF gives the best overall performance. Using only routine medical test data, it gives an accuracy of 83.1%, outperforming LR by 12%. In our second test, using only routine medical test data, when classifying NPC vs non-NPC (i.e. CRS or controls), RF achieves an accuracy of 88.2%. In our third test, when classifying NPC vs. controls, RF using only routine test data achieves an accuracy significantly better than RF using only EBV antibody data. Finally, in our last test, RF trained with NPC vs controls, using routine test data only, continued to perform well on an entirely separate dataset. This is a promising result because preliminary NPC detection using routine medical data is easy and inexpensive to implement. We believe this approach will play an important role in the detection and treatment of NPC in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the age of sail-powered ships, the maritime trade networks of Southeast Asia were highly cyclical in nature due to the biannually switching wind directions of the East Asian Monsoon. The Selden Map of China provides us with a glimpse of these connections in the early seventeenth century, and it is drawn in a unique way that allows the sailing durations between ports to be measured. In this paper, a novel method of simulating directed sail-powered voyages is developed. The method utilizes ArcGIS Pro's functionality through Python macros, and unlike the previous least-cost path (LCP) sailing models, it is based on sequential LCP analysis using dynamic real-time series wind data. The optimized routes and sailing durations generated by the macros are then compared against the Selden map. In general, the model performs reasonably well in favourable winds, but is unable to simulate tacking properly in adverse conditions. The results allow the visualization of wind patterns in terms of time spent at sea and demonstrate the inherent natural rhythm of maritime movement and trade in the South China Sea region. The macros are freely available and can be modified to simulate directed sailing in other time periods, localities, and environmental settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emergence and utilization of gold beads in China were influenced by foreign civilizations and cultures, while the exploration of composite beads in China has been relatively limited compared to single-material beads. Metal foil glass beads represent a distinct type of composite beadwork popular in ancient times. This paper presents findings from a study conducted on a group of beads that were unearthed in Nanyang City, Henan Province. Theoretical calculations and CT imaging suggested that a particular class of gold beads, previously misidentified as single-material beads, actually consisted of gold foil wrapped around an inner layer of glass beads. Elemental analysis techniques such as pXRF, SEM and μ-EDXRF were used to reveal that the purity of the gold foil of the two differently shaped beads is around 95% and 98.5%, while the silver foil of the silver beads is also around 85% due to corrosion. Microscopic observation confirmed that the gold leaf was applied through foil-fusion gilding. Lead isotope analysis indicated that the gold beads originated from different sources, whereas the silver beads likely originated from the Central Plains region. Furthermore, the evidence of beadwork from Southeast Asia and South China supports the view that the gold beads may have been originally exotic but gradually adaptated through indigenous learning, allowing the creation of high-quality imitations. This study emphasizes the importance of scientific analyses for the proper determination of bead types and craftsmanship, and contributes to a better understanding of the ancient bead circulation network. • A special type of beadwork that wraps glass in a gold leaf is recognized. • The purity of the gold foil of two differently shaped beads is around 95% and 98.5%. • These gold beads may have originated in Southeast Asia and then spread to China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Management of the South China Sea disputes must consider the "hedging" behavior of the claimant and non-claimant countries. This behavior is characterized by an insistence on not aligning with any of the competing powers, through intentionally contradictory actions to offset multiple risks, or through a continuous effort to maintain a fallback position. Indeed, in the face of China's increasingly assertive actions and U.S. Indo-Pacific strategy, nearly all the states in the region have avoided "balancing" (fully aligning with the U.S. to check China) and none of them have adopted "bandwagoning" (fully aligning with China for economic reasons but at the expense of autonomy and other national interests). Instead the Southeast Asian states have insisted on hedging. This paper argues that this proclivity to hedge is a result of both structural and domestic factors. Structurally, the high uncertainties surrounding China's intentions, U.S. commitment, and future U.S.-China ties have compelled the smaller states to avoid putting all their eggs in either power's basket. Domestically, for their political legitimation, the ruling elites in the states hedge to offset multiple risks and pursue mixed policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, four species of the genus Diduga Moore, [1887] from China (Chongqing and Guangdong) and Malaysia (Borneo, Sabah) are described as new to science, namely D. simianshana sp. nov., D. chebalinga sp. nov., D. chewi sp. nov., and D. hollowayi sp. nov. Adults of these species are illustrated in color, and images of the male and female genitalia are provided. A distribution map of the new species is provided, together with an updated checklist of all species of Diduga. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As Chinese investment in foreign land and agriculture expands dramatically worldwide, a growing body of research has emerged on the prevalence of land deals in Latin America and Africa. Southeast Asia, however, has only recently begun to receive significant attention in these discussions. A deeper exploration of the Southeast Asian context offers crucial insights into understanding the puzzle of global land deals (why, where, how they occur) more broadly. This paper frames this exploration via an overview of regional land deal trends – focusing particularly on China’s emergence as a prolific investor in the Global South, and why Chinese investment is increasingly targeting Southeast Asia, especially vis-à-vis expanding flex and boom crop production. This paper aims to provide a broader contextualization for recent Southeast Asian case studies, and to highlight why more research in the region is key in deepening our understanding of global land deal trends. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The Tai Lue of Sipsong Panna (Chinese: Xishuangbanna), in southern Yunnan Province, are usually identified as the largest community of Theravada Buddhists in China. Following the end of the repression of the Maoist period, Sipsong Panna monastics have gradually incorporated into regional and global Buddhist networks. Within this context of increasing connectivity and visibility, the public participation of Tai Lue monks and novices in practices usually considered inappropriate and even unacceptable for monastics in China and Southeast Asia has become problematized and identified as proof of 'ignorance' or 'defectiveness' on the part of this minority religious community. Building on long-term fieldwork among monastics in Sipsong Panna, this paper questions popular and academic portrayals of such unorthodox monasticism as a symptom of backwardness and degeneration, using the notion of 'cultural intimacy' (Herzfeld 1996) to offer innovative insights onto the articulation of contemporary forms of Buddhist monasticism, and onto anthropological debates concerning their conceptualization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In South China and mainland Southeast Asia, the lithic industry called the "cobble-tool industry" dominated throughout the Pleistocene and persisted until the middle Holocene. Although this term has long been used to characterize the lithic industry and to compare the Paleolithic cultures interregionally, it is really just a description of the raw material used by the lithic industry, lacking any indication of essential technological information about lithic production. As a result, the term loses utility when we compare the lithic industries of different sites in South China and mainland Southeast Asia, because both regions' lithic industries are characterized by cobble/pebble raw material during their prehistory. In this paper, we studied the lithic collection of the Bailiandong Cave, an important site in Guangxi, southern China, dating back to 36–7 ka, from a new technological perspective, and revealed the chaînes opératoires of production and the objectives of prehistoric knappers. After a concise comparison with the Hoabinihian techno-complex in mainland southeastern Asia, the long-lasting suspicion about the Hoabinhian elements in this site was dispelled. So, technological analysis did construct a solid foundation to redefine the cobble-tool industry in South China and to reveal the variability of lithic industries on a larger regional scale. The application of this approach to more sites is expected to help to decipher more clearly the technological and cultural scenario of prehistoric humans in South China and adjacent Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines both the universal features and unique aspects of China's digitalization process. The impact of digitalization, domestically and in other Asian countries, is also explored. China's digital economy has grown rapidly since the end of the first decade of the 21st century, and compared to other countries with similar levels of economic development, China has a high rate of use of digital services. China's digitalization process is driven by both private companies and by the state's strategic initiatives, including social governance. China faces both opportunities and risks from digitalization. Workers in rural areas as well as older workers may face a higher risk of job loss through automation in the future. Chinese IT companies are eager to expand their activities both domestically and in foreign countries, and their investments in so-called "unicorn" companies in Southeast Asia are especially noteworthy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction. Hepatitis E is an acute liver disease caused by E hepatitis virus (HEV), representing a global public health problem comparable with other transmissible infections. Aim. The purpose of this paper is to present the epidemiological, clinical, biological and evolutive aspects of HEV infection. Material and method. An estimated 20 million infections are annually reported worldwide with higher prevalence rates recorded in South-East Asia (over 60% of infections and over 65% of HEV related deaths). In Romania the incidence of HEV in 2009 was 12%, the frequency of infection being limited to the anti-HEV specific IgG antibodies seroprevalence. Results. HEV transmission is predominantly by digestive tract (especially contaminated water) but also by blood, plasma, organ transplant. The incubation period ranges from 21 to 45 days, onset of gastrointestinal simptoms, fever, influenza-like syndrome, asthenia, skin rush, weight loss, abdominal pain, dehydration. The state period is characterized by sclero-tegumentary jaundice (75% cases), skin pruritus, steathoresis, dark urine and pale stools. HEV can cause extrahepatic manifestations (neurological, renal lesions, pancreatitis and haematological disturbencies). Farmacological treatment of HEV infection includes Peg-Inf, Ribavirin and also newest DAAs agents. Discussions. In most patients hepatitis E causes a self-limited disease that lasts for several weeks. Acute infection is generally asymptomatic and is caused by genotype 1 in young people, while genotypes 3 and 4 generally affect immunosuppressed patients. Chronic infection is caused by genotypes 3 and 4 in immunosuppressed pacients (transplanted, HIV-positive and haematological patients) and has a lower incidence and mortality. Evolution of viral hepatitis E may be severe and fulminant due to acute liver failure. A recombinant vaccine approved in China in 2011 opens up prospects for the specific prevention measures in areas identified as being at risk to limit the consequences of hepatitis E virus infection in the general population and exposed groups. Conclusions. Hepatitis E management involves the therapy of chronic infection in immunosuppressed patients, the extrahepatic manifestations and also acute severe HEV infections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

L. rhinocerotis , an edible and medicinal mushroom, has long been utilized as folk medicine and nutritional food in Southeast Asia and southern China. Polysaccharides are the main bioactive substances of L. rhinocerotis sclerotia, and they have attracted extensive attention of researchers both at home and abroad. In the past few decades, various methods have been applied to extract polysaccharides from L. rhinocerotis (LRPs) and the structural features of LRPs are closely related to the used methods of extraction and purification. Many studies have confirmed that LRPs possess various remarkable bioactivities, including immunomodulatory, prebiotic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activities and intestinal mucosa protective effect. As a natural polysaccharide, LRP has the potential to be a drug and functional material. This paper systematically reviews the recent studies on structural characteristics, modification, rheological properties and bioactivities of LRPs, and provides a theoretical basis for an in-depth study of the structure-activity relationship, and utilization of LRPs as therapeutic agents and functional foods. Additionally, the further research and development of LRPs are also prospected. [Display omitted] • Different extraction and purification methods of LRPs are reviewed and compared. • Structure, modification and rheological properties of LRPs are summarized. • Multiple biological activities and molecular mechanisms of LRPs are outlined. • The structure-activity relationship of LRPs is discussed. • Future direction of research and development of LRP is also proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China’s Silk Road Economic Belt and 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road initiative aims to connect Asia, Africa, Europe, and their near seas. This paper considers China’s 21st Century Maritime Silk Road. The Maritime Silk Road is a major component of the “Belt and Road” development framework announced by Chinese President Xi Jinping in late 2013. The “Belt and Road” offered by China, is a platform for China’s and partner countries new engines of growth. The Silk Road (One Belt) and Maritime Silk Road (One Road) initiatives are inclusive and seek the same goal of win-win situation through joint construction, by following the same principles and connecting three continents. Beijing has promoted the beginning of a long series of dialogues and projects that have involved more than twenty Countries by now, from the Chinese coast, to Europe, following the Indian Ocean, reaching African markets, and crossing the Suez Canal. The route has been proposed as an economic instrument to help its own growth, but also to modernize ports and infrastructures of the Countries that have been taking part in it. The Initiative does not have political or military aims, as it has always been stated, but it has been pursuing a peaceful plan, addressed to Chinese wealth as much as to the worldwide growth. The programme has indeed been based on a win-win approach, which is one of the five principles of pacific coexistence, included in the UN Charter: mutual respect, equality, keeping promise, mutual benefits, and the win-win approach itself. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese herbal medicine has a long history spanning more than 2000 years, and it is widely used to prevent and treat diseases in China and even in Southeast Asia. Given the popularity of Chinese herbal medicine and the continuous development of the pharmaceutical industry, large amounts of Chinese medicine residues are produced in China every year. Chinese medicine residues are mainly made up of medicinal plant materials intended for human utilization that are subsequently discharged, lost, degraded or contaminated. The traditional methods of disposal of Chinese medicine residues include incineration, stacking and burying. However, these methods not only affect the ecological environment but also cause a great waste of Chinese medicine residues. In the past few years, the utilization of Chinese medicine residues for industry and environment protection has aroused widespread concern. Extensive studies have explored Chinese medicine residues, especially with regard to energy generation applications. In this work, the origin, chemical composition and potential of Chinese medicine residues in terms of energy generation, paper making, composite material preparation, re-extraction of bioactive components and environmental protection are summarized. This review is aimed at providing an overview of the current progress on the utilization of Chinese medicine residues for industry and environment protection and discussing the existing problems and future development. • Developing biomass energy is a promising solution for Chinese medicine residue. • Chinese medicine residue is a potential material for producing paper and composite. • Re-extraction of bioactive components is necessary for Chinese medicine residue. • Chinese medicine residue can be used to curb environmental pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author comments on the decision of the internal arbitral tribunal in the case brought against China by the Philippines. He cites several arbitration cases including that of Argentina and Uruguay relating to a pulp and paper mill, the Rainbow Warrior case between France and New Zealand, and the Russian Federation and China's dispute settlement. Other topics discussed include China's reasons for not honoring the tribunal's claim for jurisdiction and opposing interests in the South China Sea.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper to examine if there is continuous macroeconomic compatibility between ASEAN-5 and China. Thus, in addition to the typical VECM test of the long run macroeconomic cointegration test, this paper examines the existence of an ongoing cointegration analysis. Design/methodology/approach – The degree of convergence during different sub-sample period of the full sample is employed, via Johansen cointegration rank tests, to examine if there is evidence of ongoing and improved cointegrating relationship among the economies. Findings – A successful ASEAN-China economic cooperation would only work if there is continuous macroeconomic interdependence between the partnership. Since a smooth transition of ACFTA will complement AFTA, the effective ASEAN-China coordination plan is essential to endorse a successful ASEAN-China coalition. Originality/value – This paper suggests a quick yet effective verification on the continuous compatibility of economies intended to have a long-term economic coordination. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on data for actual and approved Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) from 1989-2011, this paper explores the major trends in FDI in Myanmar, focusing on changes over time in the source and sector of investment. It argues that over the last decade Myanmar's inward FDI has become heavily concentrated in the extractive and power sectors, while investment in manufacturing, services and other secondary and tertiary sectors has been almost non-existent. This is mostly the result of a poor investment climate, including import and export regulations, a weak judicial system, currency controls and weak property rights. The paper shows that China, Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand have been the main investors in Myanmar, while Singapore, India and Western countries invested little in the 2000s. This divergence is driven partly by the differing investment patterns of the source countries, yet also reflects commercial and geopolitical realities, sanctions and concerns over energy security. The paper then examines whether and how FDI can lead to economic development in Myanmar, and, closes by discussing the importance of recent political and economic reforms for rebalancing Myanmar's FDI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two approaches have been adopted to study Chinese overseas. The first one stresses homeland ties and sojourning mentality; the second one focuses on host society conditions and the social construction of Chinese. This paper analyzes the population of Chinese overseas after the Second World War, which has increased steadily over time but unevenly by region from 11 million in 1955 to 39 million in 2007. Certain historical factors and contemporary forces explain the uneven growth. The paper argues that undue emphasis on homeland influence is unwarranted in view of the importance of how receiving society and its policy of accommodation have shaped the growth and development of Chinese overseas communities after the Second World War. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Does the rise of China present a threat or an opportunity for Southeast Asia? One of the most revealing arenas in which this will be determined will be within the context of regional institution-building. For a region that is perennially associated with under-institutionalisation it is remarkable just how many initiatives have been proposed recently. Such institutions, may be important venues within which 'asymmetric regionalism' may be manifest and perhaps managed. The paper provides an assessment of this process through an analysis of China's relationship with Southeast Asia. The paper initially provides a brief theoretical introduction which explains the relationship between regional development and its possible impact on inter-state relations. Following this I provide an analysis of the political economic and strategic dynamics that are shaping and being shaped by regional initiatives. Finally, I assess how successful ASEAN's efforts have been to engage China via regional mechanisms has actually been. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractObjectives:To evaluate the literature and to compare published data on age-standardised incidence rates of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese people living in and outside China.Design:Systematic review of incidence rate studies and statistical incidence data concerning nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese populations from 1960 to 2008.Data sources:Sixteen papers were identified from the PubMed, Embase and Scopus electronic databases and from a hand search of the reference lists of the retrieved papers. Further searches for raw data on age-specific and age-standardised incidence rates of nasopharyngeal carcinoma were conducted. Textbooks on relevant subjects were referred to for background information. A total of 19 papers met the inclusion criteria.Results:Seven studies included raw data on age-specific and age-standardised incidence rates of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese people. Twelve other studies reported on changes in the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese populations in selected countries or regions. Studies on age-specific and age-standardised rates obtained data from individual registries. Studies on incidence rates obtained data from hospital records, cancer notifications (from all sections of the medical profession), pathology records and death certificates. The results showed a decline in age-standardised incidence rates of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese immigrant populations, compared with Chinese people in China. There was also a trend towards decreasing incidence the further the population had immigrated. Thus, the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Singaporean Chinese was higher than that in Hawaiian Chinese, and that in Hawaiian Chinese was higher than that in Californian Chinese.Conclusion:This review found a decreasing trend in the incidence of nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Chinese migrants living in countries with a low risk of the disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper frames the trade relationship between China and Malaysia within the context of ASEAN and the impending RCEP. Specifically trade potentials are derived for the bilateral partnership within the two structures to identify whether China's external options under the RCEP affect her relationship with Malaysia. Potentials for trade expansion between China and Malaysia, estimated through a three-dimensional panel gravity model, are found to be marginally lower under the RCEP structure relative to ASEAN. More importantly, trade potentials appear exhausted for major products traded under both contexts. This suggests a change (decline) in the trade posture of the China-Malaysia partnership, as relative advantages are most likely to be altered under the expanded matrix of Chinese relations with RCEP members. In coping with the larger matrix structure, both nations should innovate new forms of bilateral cooperation, beyond trade, to enhance their strategic partnership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China has a strong interest in pursuing a smart power strategy towards Southeast Asia and has worked laboriously to engage with regional countries economically, socially, and politically. But China has been only partially successful in achieving its goals in the region. This paper argues that China’s security policy towards Southeast Asia significantly contradicts many other objectives that Beijing wishes to accomplish. Given the deep-seated, narrowly-defined national interests of the Chinese military in the South China Sea disputes, it is likely that the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will continue to pose the main obstacle to the effective implementation of a Chinese smart strategy in Southeast Asia. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In the past few years, China has experienced a rapid development of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN.) In particular, the formation of CAFTA (the China--ASEAN Free Trade Area) will greatly encourage Chinese multinational corporations to "go out" and invest in ASEAN. However, the South China Sea disputes between China and several ASEAN countries have increased the political risks of China's FDI in ASEAN. This paper starts with an analysis of the political risks of China's FDI in ASEAN against the background of the South China Sea disputes, explains how to view and assess these political risks, and then comes up with a systematic and comprehensive mechanism for coping with the political risks of China's FDI in ASEAN against the background of the South China Sea disputes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

COVID-19 has had a huge impact on many industries around the world. Internationally-funded enterprises have been greatly affected by COVID-19 prevention and control measures, such as border controls. However, few studies have examined the impact of COVID-19 on internationally-funded enterprises. To this end, this paper considered 12 of China's industrial parks situated in Southeast Asia, while comparing the operation status before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 based on remote sensing of nighttime lights (NTL). The NTL is generally used as a proxy for economic activity. First, six parameters were proposed to quantify and monitor the operation status based on NTL data. Subsequently, these parameters were calculated for the parks and for 10 km buffer zones surrounding them to analyze the differences in operating conditions. The results showed that (1) despite the negative impact of COVID-19, 9 out of the 12 parks had a mean NTL greater than 1, indicating that these parks are in better operating condition in 2020 than 2019; (2) 7 out of the 10 km buffer zones around the parks showed a decline in mean NTL. Only three parks showed a decline in mean NTL. The impact of COVID-19 on surrounding areas was greater than the impact on parks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The nature of upland-lowland relations has been a productive preoccupation for students of Southeast Asia. This paper looks at relations between the Ta'aang and Tay Maaw people of Dehong Dai and Jingpo Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, in southwestern China, re-examining the upland-lowland interaction through the lens of Buddhist practice. The role of lay ritual specialists in maintaining daily religious life and the use of upland minority language in ritual practice are central to the analysis. Special attention is given to the Ta'aang, as the changes underway in their society present us with an opportunity to reassess some of the basic assumptions about upland-lowland relations, in both present and past contexts, from the lesser-known upland point of view. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aims to contribute to James Scott's discussion of statelessness in "Zomia" by examining the realities of political autonomy and the concepts of state and kingship of the Lahu. During the nineteenth century, "kings" appeared among the Lahu in parts of southwest Yunnan. Indeed, the Lahu enjoyed political autonomy under their own kings before these were eliminated in the process of modern state formation and border demarcation in China and Burma. Messianic movements emerged among the Lahu after they became stateless. These movements stressed the need to redeem the lost states and kings throughout the course of the Lahu's modern history. In this respect, statelessness is not a timeless, quintessential attribute of the Lahu. Rather, they only became conscious of statelessness during the modern period. What this demonstrates is that the Lahu have never been conscious anarchists who chose to avoid kings and states. They possess their own original concepts of state and kingship, even though these differ from our conventional understanding, and the main theme of their historical experience and mythical accounts centers around their search for their own state and king. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remittances of Chinese overseas during the decades before and just after the Second World War formed an important part of China's economy and were a significant feature of Southeast Asia's economic history. Familial and ethnic sentiments drove this impulse to send money back to China. In reviewing evidence for Malaya and Singapore, this paper is a new study on the nature, the role and the mechanisms of transmission of these remittances. In charting the ebb and flow of remittances during the period, this study examines several factors responsible for the subsequent decline of these flows. These are political changes, both in China and Southeast Asia, the policies and regulations of the British colonial administration, and generational change. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The paper describes a modified frequency computation method to calculate the optimal environmental flows. This method was used to design monthly environ-mental flows in Lancang river. The environmental flows calculated by the method are compared with those by the ecological flow method and the Tennant method, revealing its effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The use of bamboo by hominins in Southeast Asia has long been used as an explanation for the lack of stone tool innovation and diversity in that region during the Pleistocene. The paleoenvironmental and ethnographic basis of “Bamboo hypothesis” has been critiqued recently, but those factors are not directly relevant to the question of whether prehistoric hominins actually used bamboo. There is an even more rudimentary question that should be answered first: is it even possible to make complex bamboo tools with simple flaked cobble tool industries? This paper shows that it is indeed possible to procure and manipulate bamboo in a variety of ways with replicated stone tools. Not all bamboo stems are of equal quality, which should add a layer of intricacy in need of consideration by any future advocate of the Bamboo Hypothesis. Pilot knapping studies are also discussed, and suggest that the raw material constraints presented by local raw materials may generally be given undue weight in the morphological appearance of Southeast Asian Pleistocene stone tools. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper develops a mathematical model to quantify the market share of a given port. A Monte Carlo simulation based algorithm is proposed to estimate the port market share. A study is subsequently conducted to explore the characteristics of the landbridge system in China and Southeast Asia, and the impact of the landbridge system on the market shares of Asian ports is evaluated using the proposed approach for three scenarios. The competitiveness of the Malacca and Singapore Straits is also illustrated by analyzing the changes in the market share of Singapore port with respect to value of time. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The rise of China is the primary cause of changing strategic dynamics in Asia. China's growing economic, military and political weight is shaping regional and individual destinies of its neighbours, particularly in Southeast Asia. Despite the academic debate over its future, Chinese influence is burgeoning and this has major implications for other Asian powers such as India, Japan, Russia, and the offshore balancer, the United States. This paper examines Chinese strategic gains in the Southeast Asian region in the areas of trade, regional diplomacy and cross-border connectivity. It also seeks to understand why India, unlike China, has not managed to integrate as closely with Southeast Asia despite using policies similar to that of China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper the authors discuss China's strategic interest in expanding its relations with Cambodia. The authors note that China believes Cambodia is important for China to project greater influence in the Southeast Asia region and to act as a buffer between China's rivals. The article also notes that a relationship with Cambodia could also weaken the United States' hegemony. Such diplomacy on China's part and its increasing regional power could cause some concern for other traditional hegemonic countries.

Historical studies of Burma-China relations have emphasised warfare, seen from the perspective of Chinese sources. One commonly studied event is the thirteenth-century Mongol invasion of Bagan. Burmese sources describe the flight of King Narathihapate (1257-87) from the Mongols, thus earning the Burmese epithet 'Taruppye'. 'Tarup' now refers to the Chinese, but the identities of the people and region to which the term applies have not been constant. This paper discusses the question of the identity of ' Tarup' in the Burmese chronicles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper attempts to examine the process of China's participation in regional cooperation in Asia and the factors that affect its participation. It focuses on a changing China-ASEAN relationship that is reshaping Asia. To build a peaceful and stable external environment, China has been making various efforts, political, economic and in the security field, to maintain and upgrade a harmonious and constructive relationship with its neighboring East Asian countries. Politically, China acceded to the Treaty of Amity and Cooperation in Southeast Asia (TAC), essentially accepting the code of conduct stipulated by ASEAN and prompting other regional countries to observe this code. China has been supportive of ASEAN, playing a leadership role in East Asian regional cooperation. China and Asian regional cooperation is an evolving concept and a couple of theoretical points may be taken into account, such as how regional cooperation influences major powers' international behavior and vice versa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper argues that the fluidity that permeates the contemporary international community is driven by especially political and economic globalisation, which has a huge impact on the relationship between the nation and the state. As the individual nation state is increasingly dependent on the international community for its economic survival this dependency on the global has as a consequence that it rolls back aspects of national sovereignty thus opening up the national hinterland for further international influences. These developments initiate a process of disaggregating state and nation, meaning that a gradual disarticulation of the relationship between state and nation produces new societal spaces, which are contested by non-statist interest groups and transnational more or less deterritorialised ethnic affiliated groups and networks. The argument forwarded in this article is that Southeast Asians of Chinese descent utilise these newly created spaces for setting up diasporic-like networks thus providing substance for transnational ethnoscapes or nations without states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The fifteenth century witnessed Ming China expanding its interactions with areas to the south—areas which we today refer to as Southeast Asia. This involved overland political expansion, the gradual incorporation of Tai polities, as well as their economic exploitation. The twenty-year incorporation of the Dai Viêt policy was also part of this process. In the maritime realm, following the early fifteenth-century sending of massive armadas in an attempt to achieve a pax Ming in the region, the Ming court made efforts to ban maritime commerce by non-state players. This paper examines the effects that these various Ming policies had on Southeast Asia in the political, economic, technological, and cultural spheres. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of its 40th anniversary, this article analyses how the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has sought to deal with the problem of drug production, trafficking and consumption in Southeast Asia. Reviewing more than three decades of cooperation, it asks whether an international regime against the illicit trafficking and abuse of drugs has been established in the region under the auspices of ASEAN. In particular, the paper discusses the ASEAN and China Cooperative Operations in Response to Dangerous Drugs (ACCORD) as an attempt to create a framework of multilateral cooperation. It argues however that it is still premature today to characterise existing regional consultations as a working anti-drug regime. The existing cooperative structure has remained a loose forum for information sharing despite the strong Chinese involvement that has deepened consultations since the late 1990s. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]