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The relationship between environmental regulation and firm productivity has been widely debated but inconsistencies in findings across different studies. Using detailed firm-level micro-data from 2000 to 2007, this paper employs difference-in-difference combined with matching based on entropy balancing method to explore the effect of environmental regulation on firm total factor productivity (TFP) in pulp and paper industry in China. Our main findings are as following: Firstly, stricter environmental regulation, as represented by the Wastewater Discharge Standards for Pulp and Paper Industry in Shandong province, increases firm TFP significantly. Moreover, the coefficients of interest are robust to multiple robustness checks. Secondly, dynamic effects estimates reveal that when faced with this phase-in environmental regulation, firms take the foreseeably increasing strictness into account from the very beginning and prefer to take one-step adjustment to reach full compliance. Thirdly, potential mechanism analysis finds that the positive effect mainly comes from the improvement of resource allocation efficiency within firms. Fourthly, the heterogeneity test indicates that the effect of environmental regulation on firm TFP is heterogeneous across firms with different sizes, ages, ownerships, capital intensity, and export status. Finally, this paper provides convincing and insightful evidence that environmental regulation has the potential to achieve the dual goals of environmental sustainability and economic growth and is thus of broader significance for understanding the enforcement of environmental regulation in developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Publications in Renal Failure in Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED) between 1992 and 2021 were analyzed. Six publication indicators: total, independent, collaborative, first author, corresponding author, and single author publications as well as their related citation indicators, were used to compare performances of countries, institutes, and authors. Comparison of the highly cited papers and journal's impact factor (IF) contributors was discussed. In addition, the main research topics in the journal were presented. Results show that China published the most total articles and reviews, as well as the first-author papers and corresponding-author papers in the journal. The Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Taiwan ranked the top in five publication indicators: total, single-institution, inter-institutionally collaborative, first author, and corresponding-author papers. A low percentage of productive authors emerged as a journal IF contributor. Similarly, only a limited relationship between highly cited papers and IF contributing papers was found. Publications related to hemodialysis, chronic kidney disease, and acute kidney injury were the most popular topic, while meta-analysis was new focus in the last decade in the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Several research efforts were dedicated to analysing the effects of foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows on gross domestic product (GDP) and employment in the host economies. The variations in the conclusions signal that other variables influence and moderate the effects of FDI on GDP and employment. Institutional elements receive limited research attention, despite their influence on the host economies. This paper investigates the moderating role of institutional elements in the FDI-host economies on FDI’s effects on GDP and employment with China and India as case studies. The approach utilises three principal methodologies. The first methodology presents an in-depth analysis of China and India, highlighting selected institutional elements with the potential to influence FDI’s effects. The second methodology confirms the presence of a positive correlation between FDI and GDP and a negative correlation between FDI and employment-to-population ratio (EPR) in both China and India. The FDI, GDP purchasing power parity per capita, and EPR datasets are extracted from the World Bank – DataBank World Development Indicators to ensure the consistency of the data. The results of the quantitative analysis validate the qualitative analysis. The qualitative analysis confirms the moderating role of the selected institutional elements with variations in direction and strength. Significant variations in FDI’s effects on GDP and employment are strongly related to variations in the institutions of governance. The institutions of governance include the functionality of the state organs, the efficiency of the legal system and enforcement of the rule of law, and the quality of implementation of FDI-supportive policies. The findings aim to increase the absorption of the positive effects of FDI on GDP and employment in the respective countries. The research is a cornerstone of in-depth future research into the following areas: the role of selective FDI and constructive conditional FDI policies, the functionality of judicial authority controls, and FDI favourable exchange rates and interest rates policies. The novelty and contribution of the paper lie in its comprehensive exploration of the moderating role of institutional elements on the effects of FDI on GDP and employment in host economies, with a specific focus on China and India. The paper contributes significantly to the academic literature on FDI and economic development by emphasising the importance of institutional factors and providing actionable insights for policymakers and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic globalization and green development have become the consensus of all countries in the world. The importance of FDI, carbon emissions and green total factor productivity is self-evident. This study analyses the impact of FDI inflows on green TFP and the role of carbon emissions in FDI inflows and green TFP. The empirical analysis employed kernel density estimation, OLS, mediation effect model, and panel quantile regression methods using China's provincial panel data spanning over 2001–2019. The facts show that China's carbon emissions have been reduced because of environmental regulations and green TFP is still rising in fluctuation. The results from OLS and mediation effect model indicate that the impact of FDI inflows on green TFP present an asymmetric inverted U-shape and FDI influences green TFP by changing carbon emissions. The panel quantile regression results also show that FDI has a stronger impact on green TFP in less developed regions. This paper believes that the introduction of FDI should be appropriate and should be accompanied by corresponding environmental regulations, in order to promote green TFP in countries around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents the February 2000 white paper by the People's Republic of China about the relations of Mainland China and Taiwan. China's basis and prerequisite for achieving peaceful reunification; Questions involving the One China Principle in cross-strait relations; Adherence to the One China principle in the international community. INSET: PRC White Paper....

Poverty has always been a global concern that has restricted human development. The first goal (SDG 1) of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is to eliminate all forms of poverty all over the world. The establishment of a scientific and effective localized SDG 1 evaluation and monitoring method is the key to achieving SDG 1. This paper proposes SDG 1 China district and county-level localization evaluation method based on multi-source remote sensing data for the United Nations Sustainable Development Framework. The temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of China's poverty areas and their SDG 1 evaluation values in 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2018 have been analyzed. Based on the SDGs global indicator framework, this paper first constructed SDG 1 China's district and county localization indicator system and then extracted multidimensional feature factors from nighttime light images, land cover data, and digital elevation model data. Secondly, we establish SDG 1 China's localized partial least squares estimation model and SDG 1 China's localized machine learning estimation model. Finally, we analyze and verify the spatiotemporal distribution characteristics of China's poverty areas and counties and their SDG 1 evaluation values. The results show that SDG 1 China's district and county localization indicator system proposed in this study and SDG 1 China's localized partial least squares estimation model can better reflect the poverty level of China's districts and counties. The estimated model R2 is 0.65, which can identify 72.77% of China's national poverty counties. From 2012 to 2018, the spatial distribution pattern of SDG evaluation values in China's districts and counties is that the SDG evaluation values gradually increase from western China to eastern China. In addition, the average SDG 1 evaluation value of China's districts and counties increased by 23% from 2012 to 2018. This paper is oriented to the United Nations SDGs framework, explores the SDG 1 localized evaluation method of China's districts and counties based on multisource remote sensing data, and provides a scientific and rapid regional poverty monitoring and evaluation program for the implementation of the 2030 agenda poverty alleviation goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main objective of this paper is to assess the non-linearities between the ESG activities and firm performance in case of an emerging market. China is identified as a case study for the present examination. Even though this research objective has been explored by past researcher, the evidence presented in literature is not conclusive. The paper hypothesizes that such conflicting or inconclusive results can potentially be attributed to wrong modeling, datasets that include both developing and the developed markets, and the prevalent endogeneity issue in corporate governance literature. For the purpose of this paper, the author uses the dynamic panel approach of First difference and the System Generalized Method of Moments. The findings from the analysis of 232 Chinese listed firm show a positive association between ESG activities and the firm performance. However, the relationship is nonlinear. In other words, the relationship between ESG activities and the firm performance is inverted U-shaped. This indicates the relationship is positive up to a certain threshold and once the ESG activities cross that threshold it start to have negative effect. The key insight from this research is that the firm has to find their threshold of ESG activities to gain maximum benefits from such activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of Internet infrastructure construction on enterprise transformation and upgrading and the underlying mechanisms using a progressive double difference model based on a quasi-natural experiment of the Chinese government's "broadband China" policy by matching A-share listed companies and city panel data from 2008–2019 in Shanghai and Shenzhen. The conclusions show that the "broadband China" policy can significantly promote the transformation and upgrading of enterprises in pilot cities. However, its effect shows a diminishing marginal contribution, and the policy is more effective for traditional manufacturing industries during the implementation period. Enhancing human capital and reducing internal transaction costs are two important channels for Internet infrastructure construction to help enterprises transform and upgrade. Combined with the life cycle theory, we find that the "broadband China" policy has the most significant impact on changing and upgrading enterprises in the growth and maturity stages, especially those in the manufacturing industry, but not those in the maturity and decline stages of the service industry. Finally, a series of robustness tests using Monte Carlo simulation, entropy balance method, and instrumental variables method, excluding other factors, show that the findings are still robust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on the panel data of 285 cities in China from 2000 to 2019, this paper searches the number of patent applications related to urban artificial intelligence from five dimensions: algorithm, data, computing power, application scenario and related technology. Combining the two perspectives of industrial upgrading and rationalization, we analyze the internal influence theory of the research topic from the theoretical and empirical perspectives. The results show that artificial intelligence is not only conducive to industrial upgrading, but also significantly inhibit the deviation of industrial structure from equilibrium, which is conducive to industrial rationalization. In addition, the conclusion of this paper is still valid after a series of robustness tests, such as eliminating the samples of central cities, winsorize treatment and instrumental variables method. Through the heterogeneity test, it is found that the promoting effect of artificial intelligence on industrial upgrading is more obvious in big cities and cities with high level of industrial upgrading. The internal mechanism test results show that artificial intelligence promotes industrial upgrading by promoting technological innovation. In cities with a high degree of marketization and Internet development, the role of artificial intelligence in promoting industrial upgrading can be strengthened. The research conclusions of this paper will be conducive to accelerating the development of artificial intelligence to promote industrial upgrading, and provide a useful reference for realizing high-quality development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluates the various factors that influence the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan. Details on international factors; Factors originating in mainland China; Factors arising from developments within Taiwan.

Examines issues surrounding the national unity and territorial integrity of Taiwan. Significance of national reunification of China and Taiwan; Discussion on the civil war started by the Kuomintang; Position of the Chinese government regarding the settlement of the Taiwan question.

In theory, previous studies believed that the export market of enterprises was homogeneous. There is no difference in each export market, which is obviously inconsistent with the actual trade situation. This paper divides the export market of enterprises into main export market and secondary export market according to the export status, explores the export changes of enterprises to the main export market and secondary export market respectively when the temporary trade barriers of the main export market to the trade exporting country are raised. This paper focuses on the impact of the main export market on the anti-dumping degree, countervailing level and the improvement of trade safeguard measures on the export conversion of enterprises between the main and secondary markets. The research shows that the increase of the anti-dumping degree of the main market against the trade exporting countries will lead to the higher probability of role exchange between the main and secondary markets; The countervailing level of the main market against the trade exporting countries rises, and the export of enterprises is more likely to turn to the secondary market; The greater the trade safeguard measures in the main market, the more likely the secondary market will become the main market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of the digital transformation of agriculture and China’s ‘dual-carbon’ strategy for agriculture is new momentum for developing agriculture, reducing rural income inequality, and improving the subjective well-being of farm households. This paper uses data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) in 2014, 2016, and 2018 to examine the impact of internet use on rural income inequality at the household level. The results show that internet use can significantly reduce rural income inequality by enhancing information availability and farm households’ nonfarm employment level. The results of a heterogeneity analysis reveal that the internet is more conducive to improving the income inequality of rural burdened families and families in Western China. Further analysis shows that improving income inequality can enhance the subjective wellbeing of farmer households. Accelerating the construction of digital villages, building internet skills cultivation systems, and focusing on the utility of internet use among vulnerable rural groups can reduce rural income inequality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the Multi-Temporal Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (MT-InSAR) technology is adopted to monitor the Line of Sight (LOS) displacement of Fushun West Opencast Coal Mine (FWOCM) and its surrounding areas in northeast China using Sentinel-1 Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images acquired from 2018 to 2022. The spatial-temporal evolution of urban subsidence and the south-slope landslide are both analyzed in detail. Comparison with ground measurements and cross-correlation analysis via cross wavelet transform with monthly precipitation data are also conducted, to analyze the influence factors of displacements in FWOCM. The monitoring results show that a subsidence basin appeared in the urban area near the eastern part of the north slope in 2018, with settlement center located at the intersection of E3000 and fault F1. The Qian Tai Shan (QTS) landslide on the south slope, which experienced rapid sliding during 2014 to 2016, presents seasonal deceleration and acceleration with precipitation, with the maximum displacement in vicinity of the Liushan paleochannel. The results of this paper have fully taken in account for the complications of large topographic relief, geological conditions, spatial distribution and temporal evolution characteristics of surface displacements in opencast mining area. The wide range and long time series dynamic monitoring of opencast mine are of great significance to ensure mine safety production and geological disaster prevention in the investigated mining area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pteroceltis tatarinowii is a monotypic plant endemic to eastern China. It is an endangered tertiary relic and famous for Xuan paper manufacturing. In this study, we reported the Pteroceltis tatarinowii chloroplast genome with a length of 158,506 bp. In total, 132 genes were identified, including 83 protein-coding genes, 8 rRNA genes, and 33 tRNA genes. The overall GC content of this genome was 36.3%. Twenty-two species from Urticales were selected for phylogenomic analysis to determine the placement of P. tatarinowii. The complete plastome of P. tatarinowii will provide a valuable resource for further genetic conservation, phylogenomic, and evolution studies of the genus and the Ulmaceae. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The effective identification of systemically important financial institutions (SIFIs) is key to preventing and resolving systemic financial risks; thus, it is of great research significance for emerging countries to supervise SIFIs and manage systemic financial risks. Since traditional research on identifying SIFIs does not consider emerging machine learning models, it is difficult to properly fit the characteristics of actual financial institutions' asset distribution. This paper proposes a new method for measuring SIFIs, integrating the PSO-SVM model into the Copula-CoVaR model. This new PSO-SVM-Copula-CoVaR model is meant to evaluate China's SIFIs based on the publicly traded price data of Chinese listed financial institutions. The empirical results show that, compared with the traditional parameter method (GARCH model) and the nonparametric method (kernel density estimation), the marginal distribution estimation method using the PSO-SVM method can better fit the distribution of an institution's financial asset return sequence. That is, the model proposed in this paper helps regulatory authorities improve the list of SIFIs more reasonably and implement effective regulatory measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the golden 20 years of the Chinese leather industry as an example, this paper adopts a spatial panel model to accurately portray the characteristics of spatial evolution and the trend of development of agglomeration of the leather industry. This paper further systematically identifies the key driving factors of leather industry agglomeration, taking into account the time effect, spatial effect, and spatio-temporal effect at the same time. The results show that China's leather industry shows a shift from coastal areas to diffusion to inland areas. In terms of influencing factors, resource endowment and economic externality are the key force leading the agglomeration of leather industry. In addition, according to the results of group regression, it is found that innovation capacity and environmental regulation have become the main driving forces affecting the development of leather industry. Therefore, the government should carry out global planning according to the spatial pattern and transfer path of leather industry agglomeration. Based on the deep-level driving mechanism of industrial pattern evolution, specific industrial measures should be formulate to realize the development and promotion of leather industry in the new era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of association between board diversity and the firm performance is the subject of many studies. However, the empirical results presented in the extant literature are inconclusive at best. The inconclusive empirical results could be due to several factors and one of them could be that the relationship is contingent on some key factors. Given the rising trend of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) activities, in this paper the relationship between board diversity and the firm performance is tested in the context of ESG activities. The subject of examination in this study is the listed Chinese firms. The sample period spans for 6 years and is collected from 2014 to 2019. This work uses a dynamic approach to modelling relationships. The generalised method of moments (GMM) is used in a two-step system. An endogeneity-free estimate may be achieved by using this strategy. We can learn a great deal from these hypotheses. There is a positive and substantial correlation between board diversity and the firm's success, which suggests that diverse boards are beneficial to businesses. Both ESG activities and a positive coefficient on company performance are significant. This shows investors appreciate companies that are involved in ESG activities because they see this as an investment that pays off. Last but not least, the report shows that board diversity has a negative and considerable impact on ESG efforts. According to the results, board diversity and ESG efforts are not necessary for a company's success. According to the data, board diversity is not particularly beneficial in the context of significant ESG initiatives. Board diversity really hurts a company's success when it engages in high ESG activities. The study also discusses the work's policy ramifications. Finally, the work lays out a clear path for further study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since 2010, the Chinese government has developed several batches of low-carbon pilot provinces and cities continuously. And in the backdrop of carbon peak and carbon neutralisation recently, the carbon emission reduction policies and achievements of China have attracted more and more worldwide attention. In the field of human health, this paper investigates whether the Low-carbon Province Pilot Policy of China has positive effects on residents' health based on the micro data of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) from 2010 to 2016. Using the time-varying difference-in-difference model to solve the endogeneity problem commonly faced in the literature, we find that Low-carbon Province Pilot Policy has a positive impact on public health through air quality improvement and the unemployment level alleviation mainly. And in urban areas, the policy effect is more obvious than that in rural regions. This paper expands the content of national low-carbon governance effects to residents' health further and contribute to China's low-carbon development. Specifically, it reminds us to focus on the dynamic adjustment and effective continuation of the policy, and also the all-round support for 'the disadvantaged' in environmental governance process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest Stock Volume (FSV) is one of the key indicators in forestry resource investigation and management on local, regional, and national scales. Limited by the saturation problems of optical satellite remote-sensing imagery in the retrieving of stock volume, and the high cost of Light Detection And Ranging (LiDAR) data, it is still challenging to estimate FSV in a large area using single-sensor remote-sensing data. In this paper, a method integrated multispectral satellite imagery and LiDAR data was developed to map stock volume in a large area. A random forest model was adopted to estimate the stock volume of larch forest in China based on the training samples from the Airborne Laser Scanning (ALS)-derived stock volume and corresponding Sentinel-2 imagery. Validation using National Forest Inventory (NFI) data, ALS-derived stock volume and ground investigation data demonstrated that the estimated stock volume had a high accuracy (R2 = 0.59, RMSE = 59.69 m3/ha, MD = 39.96 m3/ha when validated with NFI data; R2 ranged from 0.77 to 0.85, RMSE ranged from 38.68 m3/ha to 67.38 m3/ha, MD ranged from 24.90 m3/ha to 37.27 m3/ha when validated with ALS stock volume; R2 = 0.42, RMSE = 79.10 m3/ha, MD = 62.06 m3/ha when validated with field investigation data). Results of this paper indicated the applicability of estimating stock volume of larch forest in a large area by combining Sentinel-2 data and airborne LiDAR data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of modern scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, the development of digital finance is conducive to improving the ecological environment and the energy total factor productivity (TFP). In this paper, DEA cross-efficiency model is used to measure the energy TFP, and moment estimation method is used to empirically test the influence and heterogeneity of digital finance on energy TFP, and then the intermediary model is constructed to study and analyze the influence mechanism based on the sample data of 30 provinces in the Chinese Mainland from 2011 to 2018. The following research findings are obtained. First, the development of digital finance has played a significant role in improving energy TFP. Second, spatial heterogeneity exists in the process of digital finance affecting energy TFP improvement, that is, digital finance has a more obvious improvement effect on the energy TFP in central and western China than in eastern China. Third, digital finance can affect energy TFP through technological innovation; that is, the improvement of regional technological innovation is an important transmission mechanism for digital finance to affect energy TFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blind-box consumption, a phenomenon sweeping through the retail market in China, is the process of buying an unlabelled box containing assorted and random novelty gifts from different retailers. Despite the intensity of its emergence, the extent of research on the phenomenon from a marketing perspective has been scarce. This paper identifies factors likely influencing Chinese consumers participating in blend-box consumption. These factors include brand familiarity emotional value and speculative potential. Conceptual issues discussed include the role of emotions and cognition as forces underpinning shopping behavior. The paper also highlights the marketing strategy features that have successfully driven the blend-box consumption experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking the implementation of Cleaner Production Standards at the industry level in China as a quasi-natural experiment, the impact of these standards on enterprises' exit behavior was empirically analyzed by using the Difference-in-Differences method. Results suggested that the implementation of Cleaner Production Standards reduced the probability of enterprises exiting the market. A parallel trend test, Propensity Score Matching (PSM), and the exclusion of other policy factors were then used to verify the robustness of this finding. The impact mechanism test showed that implementation of the standards reduced the probability of enterprises exiting the market through improving total factor productivity and promoting enterprise product innovation. The heterogeneity test revealed that, on the one hand, the implementation of Cleaner Production Standards can reduce the probability of R&D intensive industries and medium-sized enterprises exiting the market, and protect innovative and moderately sized enterprises. On the other hand, the implementation of Cleaner Production Standards can increase the probability of state-owned enterprises and small-scale enterprises exiting the market and optimize the allocation of resources among enterprises. This paper has important implications for China's future approach to environmental policy formulation as well as the optimization of domestic enterprise structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The response of energy firms to green credit policy is of great significance, which is related to the emission reduction effect of green finance and transformation of energy firms. This paper analyzes the impact of green credit policy on the growth of energy firms based on the data of Chinese listed companies from 2009 to 2019. The empirical results show that green credit policy has significantly promoted the growth of energy firms. Further research shows that green credit policy promoted the growth of energy firms by reducing financing costs and promoting green innovation. Besides, the owned firms, big-scale firms and firms in central and eastern China are more susceptible to the impacts of the green credit policy. This study is relevant to the implementation of green credit policies and the promotion of the development and transformation of energy firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to re-examine the impact of exchange rate changes on the trade balance of China and its major trading partners. In the past, many studies have been focussed on the linear effect of exchange rate change, but in this paper, a non-linear Autoregressive Distribution Lag (NARDL) model is proposed. Empirical results show that there are nonlinear and asymmetric effects on the trade balance of exchange rate. In particular, the effect of exchange rate appreciation on Sino-US trade balance is more significant than that of depreciation. A genuine devaluation of the domestic currency would improve the balance of the domestic trade. However, the opposite effect is found in the case of Sino-Japan and the Euro, and the depreciation of the currency will make the trade balance worse. These results provide a solid basis for understanding the relation of exchange rate variation and trade balance. In terms of economic reality, it is also a useful reference for adjusting exchange rate and commercial policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a special branch of global trade, the trade of agricultural products has an important impact on food security and the environment. In this paper, we studied international trade network of agricultural products from 2000 to 2016 as a whole and in part. We explored the overall characteristics of the network, analyzed the evolution of communities and identified core countries of the communities. The results show that the structure of the trade network became increasingly complex and the trade relations became closer over time. There were four major communities in the network, whose primary core countries were Germany, the United States, Brazil, and China. Since 2007, the community represented by China has disappeared, and the community pattern of the network has been in a three-pillar state and basically stable. We discuss the actual roles of certain trading countries, the formation of communities and the impact of economic events on agricultural products trade. This paper reveals the underlying patterns of the agricultural products trade and provides a way to track its evolution over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coupling of human, management, mechanical, and environmental risk factors increases the probability of accident occurrence at metro construction sites. The degree of coupling risks at metro construction sites is the degree of interdependence among the risks in subsystems during metro construction projects. This paper uses the coupling relationship between the human and environmental risks to predict the progression in overall risk-level of construction process at Rongjiazhai station of Xi'an Metro Line 5 in China. The coupling model and system dynamics simulation are applied in four steps: develop the coupling model, estimate the weight index for metro construction risk factors, calculate the risk levels, and estimate the degrees of coupling risks. This paper identifies that the change of coupling coefficients of human-environmental factors has a significant influence on the risk-level at metro construction sites. The "psychological and physiological quality," "natural and working environment," and "physiological discomfort and working environment" are the most influential factors of the coupling level of human-environmental risks. The simulation results demonstrate that the coupling effects of risk factors should be emphasized in engineering practice. To reduce the risk-level of construction system, the human, mechanical, and environmental risks should be identified, coupled, and monitored in real time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) reports are important carriers of enterprises non-financial information disclosure, which are inextricably related to the production efficiency and performance of enterprises. The objective of this paper is discovering the causal effect of the CSR mandatory disclosure policy and the total factor productivity (TFP) of enterprises. This paper uses the sharp regression discontinuity design based on the micro data of the enterprises to study the impact by taking China's mandatory disclosure policy in 2008 as a quasi-natural experiment. This paper makes some contribution to the impact of mandatory CSR disclosure on enterprise TFP and the mechanism and heterogeneity of this impact. The research draws the following conclusions: First, the CSR mandatory disclosure can significantly improve the TFP of enterprises on the whole, and this effect has the characteristics of long-term and dynamic decline. Second, the mechanism of mandatory disclosure of CSR on TFP is through the mediating effect of R&D and innovation expenditures. Third, the heterogeneity of the impact of CSR mandatory disclosure on TFP is reflected in two aspects: industry and equity nature differences. These conclusions are strongly correlated with the contingent decision-making behaviour of enterprises and give some ideas to the policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Policy uncertainties have always played a critical role in shaping economic outcomes, as evidenced by the recent sluggish economic growth in many countries. Green economic efficiency (GEE) is a comprehensive index to measure economic, social, and environmental development. This paper uses the slack-based measurement (SBM) directional distance function and Luenberger productivity indicator to measure the static GEE and dynamic green total factor productivity (GTFP) of China's urban agglomerations from 2003 to 2020 under constraints of resources and environment. In order to clarify the driving mechanisms of GEE and GTFP, this paper adds the factor of economic policy uncertainty (EPU). The results show that there is a positive correlation between EPU with GEE and GTFP. The possible reason is that the market mechanism plays a decisive role in improved GEE and GTFP. Therefore, policymakers should give better play to the government's macro-control role, and play the decisive role of the market mechanism in the environmental governance system to improve GEE and GTFP in a targeted manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On June 25th, 2021, the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China issued a white paper entitled "China's New Political Party System." This document argues that the political systems of Western nations are "outdated" and emphasizes the superiority of the political system of "Chinese democracy," as promoted by Xi Jinping. However, the Chinese government's official English translation leaves out the context of "newness" and does not emphasize the harmfulness of the West's "outdated" system. Why was the English version rewritten with little nuance? This could be because of a desire to avoid drawing international criticism for its plan to boost China's "international discourse power" (国际话语权 in Chinese), which President Xi Jinping has sought to shore up. This paper argues that China's "new political party system" was implemented as a political tool to formulate Xi Jinping's new social science theory. Thus, it did not bring about any major changes to China's political consultation system, in which "democratic parties" can consult with the Communist Party but basically cannot oppose or disagree. Additionally, the phrase "new political party system" was created amidst conflict around discourse power with the West and was an argument with strategic significance in its connection to foreign policy. Discussion of China's political system is likely to become all the more important amidst the current structural conflict between the US and China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper considers Sino-Uzbek relations by critically assessing the positivist depictions of CA states in their relations with larger countries like China. It uses the post-positivist and constructivist framework and adaptations made from the four-factor analysis framework adopted in the case of Uzbekistan to demonstrate avenues in which Uzbekistan demonstrates active agency in relations with China. This paper argues that Uzbekistan and other CA states utilize nudging strategies which refer to a subtle and often indirect way of encouraging or guiding China's behavior in a particular direction as opposed to so-called "nagging" which associates with persistent and repetitive pressuring China to perform a certain function. Accordingly, Uzbekistan's approach to China can be described as the nudging strategy of designing the environment or context which makes China's choices in its relations with Uzbekistan easier and more attractive in favor of policy decisions desired by the Uzbek government. As is depicted in the narrative of cooperation road maps, Uzbekistan's approach involved both indirect signaling of certain policy preferences, choice-preserving (involving diversification of foreign partners), and positive reinforcement (through various policy incentives). This contrasts the persistent and repetitive pressuring, criticism, threats, or guilt-tripping, seen in relations between China and other Western states. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a new urbanization mode, smart cities provide a way to achieve the mutually beneficial situation of both economic development and environmental protection. As such, the question of whether and how smart-city construction can promote the high-quality development of urban economies is worth considering. By measuring the green total factor productivity (GTFP) of 233 cities in China from 2004–2019, this paper adopts the national pilot smart cities of China as a quasi-experiment and constructs a time-varying DID model to explore the direct, dynamic, and heterogeneity influence of smart-city construction on GTFP. The results indicate the following: (1) Smart-city construction can significantly promote the urban GTFP, which is mainly caused by the progress of green technology, and the effect is robust after a series of robustness tests; (2) smart-city construction can contribute to GTFP improvement primarily through accelerating technological innovation, promoting industrial upgrading, and realizing resource allocation optimization; and (3) smart cities that are larger in scale, have a higher administrative rank, and lie in eastern regions have stronger positive effects on GTFP. This study aims to contribute to the promotion of urban sustainable development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To achieve the goal of carbon reduction, China has been piloting the Carbon Emission Trading System (CETS) since 2013. As the economy faces a downward trend, it is significant to explore the impact of CETS on business development. There is still debate in academia about whether this policy can boost the level of business development. This paper, based on all A-share data of listed companies in China from 2009 to 2018, uses the Difference in Differences (DID) model to verify the impact of CETS on the input of capital and labor factors and the level of technology in enterprises and discusses the industry heterogeneity of this impact in detail. Placebo tests, propensity score matching, and triple differences ensure the robustness of the conclusions. In further research, this paper decomposes the policy effect of CETS. It regresses the impact of carbon quota prices and carbon market trading scale on business development. The final conclusion is that CETS has a positive impact on the input of capital and labor in enterprises and a negative impact on the level of technology. After distinguishing industries, this conclusion shows differences according to different characteristics of high emissions and low emissions. In addition, the increase in carbon quota prices hinders business development, while the scale of carbon market trading shows an inverted "U" relationship with business development. The article provides meaningful policy references for China and countries in the early stages of CETS construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study analyses the interrelation between technological innovation (TI) and trade friction (TF) by applying the bootstrap rollingwindow full- and subsample Granger causality test from China in a sample from January 2002 to December 2021. Results show that the influence of TI on TF is twofold. On the one hand, TI is a push for TF. This finding is consistent with the ‘income effect’, which postulates that TI leads to more TF by affecting the income of other countries. On the other hand, TI has a negative influence on TF. This result confirms the ‘substitute effect’, implying that TI can benefit consumers by providing more high-quality and cheaper products. In turn, TF can hinder TI by reducing exporters’ profits. Based on these findings, governments should coordinate their efforts toward innovation and trade policies. At the same time, firms should master core technology and develop their high-performance products to avoid the risk of TF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents several abstracts related to geography. "The Distribution of White Settlement in Kenya," by Donald R. Petterson; "Early Chinese Settlement in Borneo," by Tsuen-Kung Chang; "Patterns and Problems of Land Tenure in the Lesser Antilles: Example of Antigua," by John P. Augelli.

This paper empirically tests the impact of CEO's alumni relationships on the stock price crash risk during CEO turnover. Empirical tests find that CEOs' advantage among alumni networks will increase stock price crash risk during CEO turnover to some degree. However, this effect is built on the CEO's power inside the firm that was established during the long tenure on the position. Further research finds that analysts' following can exacerbate the release of bad news, however, it seems that the either internal corporate governance or external cannot effectively monitor the opportunistic behavior of CEOs on the whole. In addition, the positive effect of alumni network on stock price crash risk mainly exists in the regions where the legal environment is weak, that is, a sound legal environment can effectively prevent the opportunistic behavior of managers. Besides, the experience of the M.B.A program may strengthen the CEO's tendency to take advantage of alumni connections to withhold bad news. This paper sheds light on the risk that social connection may bring and conducts to a more comprehensive understanding of the role that social network plays in business activities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inter-city population mobility, a critical phenomenon in the modern urbanisation process, is closely related to urban industrial structure and socioeconomic development. This paper aims to investigate the dynamics of population flows and their intricate ties to industrial structure, so we employ the graph neural networks (GNNs) method to simulate inter-city population flows in China, which efficiently integrates demographic and socioeconomic data with Tencent migration big data while accounts for geographical relationships between cities. The results show that the model's predictive accuracy using the CPC index was high for road and rail traffic and moderate for air transportation. A comparison with real-world data verified the model's effectiveness in predicting the urban hierarchy and regional aggregation of flows. Using GNNExplainer, the results indicated that population size positively influenced population flow, while developed manufacturing reduced population mobility for road and rail traffic but increased it for air transportation. By conducting scenario simulations in Northeast China, we found that enhancing the region's industry and consumer service industry could mitigate negative population outflows. The conclusions drawn from this study offer valuable perspectives to policymakers and urban planners, enabling them to make well-informed and judicious choices concerning urban planning, transportation, and resource allocation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Timely and accurate extraction of crop planting units plays a critical role in crop yield estimation, soil management, food supplies, and disaster warnings. However, precisely mapping crop types is challenging in smallholder farming systems due to heterogeneous and mixed pixels, where field sizes are small, and crop types are very diverse. In this paper, the crop type system of Huocheng County in northwest China as an example area, crop classification feature variables are constructed using Sentinel-2 remote sensing images, and combining the ReliefF algorithm, three feature selection classification models are established by 3092 crop type sampling points data. The crop planting units are extracted using pixel-based and object-based classification methods, respectively, and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) data assess the accuracy as ground truth. The Sentinel-2 image based smallholder crops classification results indicate that: The effective combination of optimal input feature variables selection and classification models significantly improves crop classification accuracy. This is particularly evident when integrating this approach into pixel-based classification, addressing challenges such as low pixel classification accuracy in regions of this type. The validation results from UAV data also confirm these findings. At validation points 2, 3, and 4, pixel-based classification demonstrates significantly higher accuracy compared to object-based classification, with pixel-based classification accuracy improving by 9.16%, 7.83%, and 31.83%, respectively. Although the UAV validation accuracy does not reach a high level, pixel-based classification remains the optimal choice for smallholder crop classification. This method offers new insights and references for research related to the classification of smallholder crops with complex planting structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes this shift in the relationship between China and the United States, focusing in particular on the role of American corporations in shaping US geopolitical strategies with regard to China. Once aggressive promoters of economic integration with China, these firms now defend policies designed to block the growth of Chinese firms in Western markets and protect America's lead in critical emerging technologies. The current tension between the US and China, we argue, reflects, in part, a dispute for control over technical progress in these key areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Castanopsis orthacantha Franch. 1899 is one representative tree species distributed in the evergreen broad-leaved forests of southwestern China. This species is an important source of timber for manufacturing furniture, floors, and paper. It also plays a significant role in maintaining ecological balance and stability. To help with the genetic diversity assessment of C. orthacantha, we sequenced and assembled the first complete chloroplast genome. The length of the chloroplast genome was 160,588 bp, with a typical quadripartite structure (GenBank accession no. OR900101). The large single-copy (LSC), small single-copy (SSC), and two inverted repeats (IRs) were 90,237 bp, 18,953 bp, and 25,699 bp in length, respectively. We annotated one hundred and thirty genes across the chloroplast genome, including 86 protein-coding genes (79 are unique), 37 tRNA genes (29 are unique), and eight rRNA genes (four are unique). Seventeen genes had one intron, and four were detected with two introns. The maximum likelihood phylogeny suggested that C. orthacantha, C. lamontii, C. sclerophylla, and C. hainanensis formed a clade with a high bootstrap value. This newly sequenced chloroplast genome assembly will aid in the population genetic and phylogenetic studies of Castanopsis species in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents an excerpt from China's national defense white paper published on July 28, 1998, which deals with China's strait relations with Taiwan.

This study takes the Zhouyuan site region, which is the most representative Western Zhou Dynasty (1046 BC-771BC) large city-site in China, as an example. Based on the interpretation results of satellite remote sensing images from 1973 to 2021, the paper systematically analyzed the evolution of landscape patterns in the Zhouyuan site region spanning for about 50 years using 4 methods, including land use classification, land use transfer matrix, landscape pattern distribution gravity center model and landscape pattern index. Additionally, the results show that nowadays Zhouyuan site is still in a period of accelerated invasion and destruction by natural and human factors, which indicates that the protection of the Zhouyuan site has been inadequate or even unsuccessful for a long time. For the purpose of making more accurate and better protection of the Zhouyuan site, four challenges and six protection recommendations have been put forward. Based on remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS), this paper contributed a method combining 4 models to analyze the spatial-temporal evolution characteristics of landscape pattern of ancient large city-sites, in order to provide more basis for the formulation of cultural relic protection strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes 66 local government debt governance policy texts from 2009 to 2019 as sample, and constructs an analysis framework of 'target debt - management measures - mechanism guarantee', derives up with identifying the characteristics of determining local government debt governance in China. The results show as follow: (i) It attaches more importance to the policy design of 'borrowing', 'repayment' and 'management' on local government debt instead of the 'usage' in China. (ii) The evidence supports the relatively average coding distribution of each policy, but the content is quite different. (iii) It manifests the new development value of 'people-oriented' and the concept of collaborative governance in the policy design. (iv) It has formed a 'centre-edge' model for the governance of the local government debt. This paper provides a new perspective for the study of the problems of local government debt governance, and puts forward policy recommendations for improving the governance of the local government debt. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we investigate the characteristics and mechanisms of cultural diversity that affect foreign direct investment (FDI) using the panel data on provinces in China from 1999 to 2019 and find that, in general, cultural diversity inhibits FDI absorption. However, this kind of adverse effect has a nonlinear threshold characteristic. That is, when the population density reaches a certain level or urbanization is controlled within a certain range, the increase in cultural diversity can weaken the inhibitory effect on FDI. Additionally, by exploring the mechanisms of cultural diversity affecting FDI, we further find that cultural diversity inhibits FDI mainly through the channels of inhibiting population density and urbanization. The conclusions of this paper not only enrich the theoretical research on FDI location from the perspective of cultural diversity but also shed light on how to better attract FDI to China and other countries, such as resolving cultural conflicts and constructing an inclusive investment environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Whether digital finance should be included in the quantitative framework of monetary policy in emerging market countries has been widely discussed by scholars. However, the current research just focused on a single format of digital finance, lacking comprehensive analysis at the overall level and the refinement of general rules. Therefore, this paper constructed a spatial econometric model to empirically analyze the impact of digital finance on the effectiveness of monetary policy and its heterogeneity, taking China as the representative of emerging market countries. The empirical test showed that (1) Although the total index of digital finance had a negative impact on economic growth, the interaction between digital finance and monetary policy was significantly positive. This indicated that the "moderating effect" of monetary policy was beneficial to digital finance in promoting economic growth, which was confirmed from the subindexes level as well. (2) The development of digital finance had obvious characteristics of the "polarization effect" and the "spatial spillover effect". Meanwhile, there was a significant regional difference in the "moderating effect" of monetary policy. (3) In terms of control variables, consumption level, fixed capital formation level, and fiscal policy all had a significant positive impact on economic growth, with a positive "spatial spillover effect". Whereas, the impacts of COVID-19 and export level on economic growth were both negative. Hence, coping with the challenges of COVID-19 and revitalizing exports were important breakthroughs for emerging market countries to recover the domestic economy. Finally, based on the empirical conclusions, this paper proposed three suggestions. First, monetary policy should be strengthened to intervene in the development of digital finance. Second, digital financial development should be integrated into the quantitative framework of monetary policy. Third, it is essential to build a "double pillar" policy framework to compensate for the shortage of monetary policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper adopts five dimensions and 15 indexes of green development, people's life, innovation ability, economic vitality and coordinated development to establish an evaluation system of high-quality economic development. It uses principal component analysis to measure the economic high-quality development of 233 prefecture-level cities from 2003 to 2016, and empirically studies the impact of import sophistication on China's high-quality economic development. The results show that the increase in the sophistication of imported technology can significantly promote the high-quality development of the regional economy, and this effect is applicable to both imported intermediate and final products. In regions with higher and lower levels of economic development, eastern areas, and regions with high-quality development above 90% quantiles, the increase in imported technology content can significantly drive the high-quality development of the local economy. However, it has a great negative impact on the areas with a high-quality development index below 10% quantile. The robustness and endogeneity check support the above viewpoint. Further mechanism analysis shows that the final product import competition and intermediate product import spillover play a mediating role in the process of import sophistication affecting the high-quality economic development. The conclusion of this paper has important theoretical value and practical significance for the use of import trade to achieve high-quality economic development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China's foremost national goal is to become a major space power by 2030. Consequently, President Xi Jinping has made the launch of the BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) and promotion of a "BDS global network" a national priority. BDS represents a frontier technology of the "fourth industrial revolution" which ushered in the digital age. Using BeiDou as a case study, this paper attempts to analyze the structural features of China's frontier technology strategy and its impact on China's global influence. Significantly, BDS has both military and civilian applications, which is a prominent feature of today's cutting edge technologies. Therefore, a focus on BDS will deepen our understanding of how China is exploring these new types of dual-purpose technologies to expand its global reach. The paper argues that by dramatically restructuring its decision-making process under Xi Jinping, China has been able to adopt a state-led national strategy for using BeiDou domestically, while expanding its global reach through a market-driven approach. This strategy has facilitated the penetration of Chinese BDS applications into the economies and societies of many developing (and some developed) countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyzes digital economy data from Beijing and 1 Chinese province and city by a panel model and a fixed impact model. The findings are as follows: First, the development of digital participatory finance has positively influenced China's consumption level, consumption structure, consumption areas and development, mainly because it has affected the consumer goods of Chinese citizens. Second, by analyzing digital economy indicators and data at different stages of economic development, it is believed that the size and reach of the digital economy will have a more positive impact on per capita consumption in China. China's digital economy mainly affects the urban-rural structure, regional structure, and consumption habits of residents to realize the impact of the digital economy. The digital economy has a much greater impact on growth-oriented household consumption than on household consumption. Based on the findings, recommendations for action are also provided. The government should strengthen digital infrastructure, improve digital economy products and derivative financial services, improve the quality of current financial services for citizens, and increase the affordability of citizens to successfully develop the digital economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The cultural industry with innovation, low pollution and low energy consumption may become the next strategic pillar industry in China. The tax reform of 'Replacing business tax with value-added tax (VAT)' not only lays a solid foundation for the establishment of green tax system, but also contributes to the enterprise development and performance improvement. This paper aims to study the impact of VAT reform policy on the financial performance of listed companies in the cultural industry. To this end, the PSM-DID method was applied, and natural experiments were made by taking A shares listed companies from 2009 to 2014 as the reform pilot. The research finds that: (1) the VAT reform policy 'replacing business tax with VAT' is conducive to improving the financial performance of cultural industry enterprises; (2) the policy has more positive impact on the financial performance of manufacturing cultural enterprises than on non-manufacturing ones; (3) compared with state-owned enterprises, the policy contributes more to the financial performance of private enterprises. This study provides empirical evidence for evaluating the impact of VAT reform policy on the operation of cultural industry enterprises. It has practical significance for improving the VAT system and the financial operation of cultural enterprises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Factor mismatch has seriously restricted the high-quality development of China's economy. In order to solve the problem of unreasonable factor allocation in the Chinese economy, this paper takes the innovative pilot cities implemented by the Chinese government as a quasi-natural experiment to study its impact on innovation factor mismatch. The results show that: (1) the implementation of innovation-driven policies significantly improves the mismatch of innovation factors, which still holds after a series of robustness tests and endogeneity tests; (2) For non-state-owned enterprises, non-labor-intensive enterprises and the eastern region, the implementation of innovation-driven policies can better improve the mismatch of innovation factors. Furthermore, this paper finds that the implementation of innovation-driven policies can improve the mismatch index of high-skilled R&D personnel and the capital mismatch index of basic research and applied research. (3) Innovation-driven policies improve the mismatch of innovation factors by strengthening the flow of factors and promoting the upgrading of industrial structure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]