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A comprehensive understanding of the impact of land fragmentation on collective action is essential for rural governance in developing countries. Prior publications have argued that land fragmentation impedes the sustainable development of agricultural economies and rural societies, while the connection between humans and nature has not been considered comprehensively. Therefore, the conclusion that the impact of land fragmentation on collective action is purely negative may be one-sided. To examine this conclusion, this paper re-evaluates the relationship between land fragmentation and rural collective action from a multidisciplinary perspective. Based on a rural field survey using stratified random sampling, Oprobit regression was employed to conduct an econometric analysis on data from 798 rural households across 14 cities in the border region of Guangxi, China. The following research findings were obtained: (1) When the human–nature connection is considered, the relationship between land fragmentation and collective action follows an inverted U-shaped curve. Specifically, moderate initial increases in land fragmentation can lead to improvements in collective action; however, when the degree of land fragmentation exceeds a certain threshold, further increases in land fragmentation will decrease the collective action capacity. (2) This nonlinear relationship between land fragmentation and collective action may be realized through three pathways: agricultural production, land use patterns, and the ecological environment. Under the context of collective action, this study shows that a moderate level of land fragmentation objectively exists in reality. This insight provides a new impetus for developing countries to shift policy perspectives to increase their land use efficiency. Additionally, this paper integrates relevant findings from both social sciences and natural sciences. Thereby, it not only expands the existing understanding of key factors influencing rural household collective action but also emphasizes the potential for cross-disciplinary integration between social sciences and natural sciences. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Malaria is a major public health problem in the China–Myanmar border region. The genetic structure of malaria parasite may affect its transmission model and control strategies. The present study was to analyse genetic diversity of Plasmodium falciparum by merozoite surface proteins 1 and 2 (MSP1 and MSP2) and to determine the multiplicity of infection in clinical isolates in the China–Myanmar border region. Methods: Venous blood samples (172) and filter paper blood spots (70) of P. falciparum isolates were collected from the patients of the China–Myanmar border region from 2006 to 2011. The genomic DNA was extracted, and the msp1 and msp2 genes were genotyped by nested PCR using allele-specific primers for P. falciparum. Results: A total of 215 P. falciparum clinical isolates were genotyped at the msp1 (201) and msp2 (204), respectively. For the msp1 gene, MAD20 family was dominant (53.49%), followed by the K1 family (44.65%), and the RO33 family (12.56%). For the msp2 gene, the most frequent allele was the FC27 family (80.93%), followed by the 3D7 family (75.81%). The total multiplicity of infection (MOI) of msp1 and msp2 was 1.76 and 2.21, with a prevalence of 64.19% and 72.09%, respectively. A significant positive correlation between the MOI and parasite density was found in the msp1 gene of P. falciparum. Sequence analysis revealed 38 different alleles of msp1 (14 K1, 23 MAD20, and 1 RO33) and 52 different alleles of msp2 (37 3D7 and 15 FC27). Conclusion: The present study showed the genetic polymorphisms with diverse allele types of msp1 and msp2 as well as the high MOI of P. falciparum clinical isolates in the China–Myanmar border region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The supply of coins and their metal materials is important for state governance. Many details about the monetary supply network in ancient China still need to be verified. In this paper, 15 early Tang dynasty Kaiyuan Tongbao 開元通寶 coins excavated from the Lafu Queke 拉甫却克 cemetery, Hami 哈密 city, were studied by combining scientific analyses (PXRF and MC-ICP-MS etc.) with the archaeological context and historical texts. The results show that all of these coins are made of Cu-Sn–Pb ternary alloy. The lead isotopes match with the isotopic signatures of some southwest China lead mines consistent with historical records, 14 coins are located in the range of Southern China geochemical province, and the lead of 5 coins could be considered as highly radiogenic lead (HRL). Combining these results with the archaeological context and historical texts, it can be inferred that the coins minted in southwest China were made from locally exploited raw metal, and supplied to the northwest borderland of the Tang dynasty in the seventh century CE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Grid management is a grassroots governance strategy widely implemented in China since 2004 to improve the government's efficiency to actively find and solve problems among populated regions. A grid-based strategy surveillancing high-risk groups, including mobile and migrant populations (MMPs), in the China-Myanmar border region has played an indispensable role in promoting and consolidating the malaria elimination efforts by tracking and timely identification of potential importation or re-establishment of malaria among MMPs. A sequential mixed methods was implementated to explore the operational mechanism and best practices of the grid-based strategy including through the focus group discussions (FGDs), comparison of before and after the implementation of a grid-based strategy in the field sites, and data collection from the local health system.This paper distills the implementation mechanism and highlights the role of the grid-based strategy in the elimination and prevention of re-establishment of malaria transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid urbanization has widely induced fragmented landscapes and further negatively affected ecological functions. The edge effect is an approach commonly used to investigate these negative impacts. However, edge effect research tends to focus on the impacts that a certain landscape receives from its adjacent lands rather than to assess all the influences of the landscape edges in a region, even though the latter is critical for regional ecological planning. To fill in this gap, the concept of neighboring effect is raised and analyzed in this paper with a case study of Xintai City in Northern China. Results show that the neighboring effects are generally negative for ecological functions, especially in regions that experience rapid urbanization or heavy human activities. The U-shaped relationship between the neighboring effect of a patch and its distance to the nearest township center indicates that the border region of urban and built-up areas suffers the most negative influences due to the intense interactions between different land uses. The heterogeneous effects of influencing factors in urban and rural areas were revealed by the regression results. Socioeconomic development has more important influence on neighboring effects on ecological functions in rural areas than in urban areas, and local cadres' support of environmental protection matters only in rural areas for a less ecological functional loss. This study quantitatively examined the negative ecological effects of landscape fragmentation during rapid urbanization and calls for more attention to ecological planning at the local scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The security and socioeconomic development of China's border areas are of great significance to the nation and the wider world. Using census, statistical, digital elevation model (DEM) and network data, this paper employs visual analysis to capture population distribution patterns in China's 131 border counties from 1982 to 2010. Multiple stepwise regression is carried out to identify the influencing factors of population dynamics in border regions. The main findings include: China's most heavily populated border areas are primarily in the northeast, northwest, and the Guangxi-Yunnan region, while rapid growth of population is found in western Inner Mongolia, southwest Xinjiang, northwest Tibet, and southern Yunnan. Given the increasingly market-oriented migration mechanism, the national reclamation policy has been no longer effective in population attraction in the new century. Education has significantly lowered and will continuously lower the fertility rate in remote border areas. The factors influencing population growth show a remarkable regional heterogeneity along China's long border. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The wartime period between 1937 and 1945 provided an exceptional opportunity for the Guomindang state to experiment with a wide array of schemes that sought to further its nation-state project in the borderland regions of China. Under the rubric of ‘frontier reconstruction’ (bianjiang jianshe) it devised a series of plans that encompassed both the economic and cultural transformations of these regions. This paper discusses a particular scheme devised by Chinese anthropologist, Li Anzhai (1900–1985), during his stay at the Tibetan Buddhist monastery of Labrang where he sought to transform borderland societies into a modern Chinese citizenry. A key aspect to his strategy was the mobilization of youth where trained cadres and students performed what became known as ‘frontier service’ (bianjiang fuwu) establishing a dialogue with the community's own particular demands by means of building schools, hospitals and agricultural projects. This paper argues that the notion of ‘frontier service’ and the ‘cultural reconstruction’ project propounded by Li not only sought to modernize and unify China around a distinct multicultural identity, it was also an important mobilizing force amongst sectors of wartime youth which arguably introduced young Han Chinese to a region which they had hitherto only imagined in the pre-war period. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In recent years, numerous viruses have been identified from ticks, and some have been linked to clinical cases of emerging tick-borne diseases. Chinese northeast frontier is tick infested. However, there is a notable lack of systematic monitoring efforts to assess the viral composition in the area, leaving the ecological landscape of viruses carried by ticks not clear enough. Between April and June 2017, 7101 ticks were collected to perform virus surveillance on the China–North Korea border, specifically in Tonghua, Baishan, and Yanbian. A total of 2127 Ixodes persulcatus were identified. Further investigation revealed the diversity of tick-borne viruses by transcriptome sequencing of Ixodes persulcatus. All ticks tested negative for tick-borne encephalitis virus. Transcriptome sequencing expanded 121 genomic sequence data of 12 different virus species from Ixodes persulcatus. Notably, a new segmented flavivirus, named Baishan Forest Tick Virus, were identified, closely related to Alongshan virus and Harz mountain virus. Therefore, this new virus may pose a potential threat to humans. Furthermore, the study revealed the existence of seven emerging tick-borne viruses dating back to 2017. These previously identified viruses included Mudanjiang phlebovirus, Onega tick phlebovirus, Sara tick phlebovirus, Yichun mivirus, and three unnamed viruses (one belonging to the Peribunyaviridae family and the other two belonging to the Phenuiviridae family). The existence of these emerging tick-borne viruses in tick samples collected in 2017 suggests that their history may extend further than previously recognized. This study provides invaluable insights into the virome of Ixodes persulcatus in the China–North Korea border region, enhancing our ongoing efforts to manage the risks associated with tick-borne viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The openness and security of a country's borders is a matter of concern for countries worldwide. Since its reform and opening up in 1978, China has implemented reforming and opening policies in border regions, as represented by the "Xingbian Fumin Xingdong" (Revitalize Border Areas and Enrich Residents' Lives Policy [RBAERL Policy]) to achieve economic prosperity and stability. This study evaluated the impacts of the RBAERL policy in terms of outcomes related to county‐level economic growth in China's border regions. Using China's county‐level panel data from 1999 to 2016, we applied a spatial discontinuity design with the geographical boundary serving as the running variable. We found that the RBAERL policy contributed significantly to the economic growth of the border counties. These results were shown to be robust when measured against a series of test procedures. Through a by‐segment analysis of the border regions, we found that the policy had the strongest effect in northeastern China. Further mechanism analysis showed that the effect of per capita GDP growth primarily resulted from the expansion of the industrial sector along with physical and human capital investment rather than the promotion of employment and the growth of total factor productivity. The findings of this study can provide references for the importance of open borders for economic development and national security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mining for rare earth elements is rapidly increasing, driven by current and projected demands for information and energy technologies. Following China's Central Government's 2012 strategy to shift away from mining in favor of value-added processing, primary extraction has increased outside of China. Accordingly, changes in mineral exploitation in China and Myanmar have garnered considerable attention in the past decade. The prevailing assumption is that mining in China has decreased while mining in Myanmar has increased, but the dynamic in border regions is more complex. Our empirical study used Google Earth Engine (GEE) to characterize changes in mining surface footprints between 2005 and 2020 in two rare earth mines located on either side of the Myanmar–China border, within Kachin State in northern Myanmar and Nujiang Prefecture in Yunnan Province in China. Our results show that the extent of the mining activities increased by 130% on China's side and 327% on Myanmar's side during the study period. We extracted surface reflectance images from 2005 and 2010 from Landsat 5 TM and 2015 and 2020 images from Landsat 8 OLI. The Normalized Vegetation Index (NDVI) was applied to dense time-series imagery to enhance landcover categories. Random Forest was used to categorize landcover into mine and non-mine classes with an overall accuracy of 98% and a Kappa Coefficient of 0.98, revealing an increase in mining extent of 2.56 km2, covering the spatial mining footprint from 1.22 km2 to 3.78 km2 in 2005 and 2020, respectively, within the study area. We found a continuous decrease in non-mine cover, including vegetation. Both mines are located in areas important to ethnic minority groups, agrarian livelihoods, biodiversity conservation, and regional watersheds. The finding that mining surface areas increased on both sides of the border is significant because it shows that national-level generalizations do not align with local realities, particularly in socially and environmentally sensitive border regions. The quantification of such changes over time can help researchers and policymakers to better understand the shifting geographies and geopolitics of rare earth mining, the environmental dynamics in mining areas, and the particularities of mineral extraction in border regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Invasive alien species pose great threats to ecological and economic health and cause enormous losses to global ecosystems. The Mikania micrantha management program is a source of great theoretical and practical insights for regional agricultural and forestry development. In this paper, the invasion history and distribution patterns of M. micrantha in the China-Myanmar Border Region are summarized, and the short-term and long-term performance of the current post-border management program are evaluated. A literature survey found that M. micrantha was mainly distributed in 85 townships of five municipalities along the border in China with Myanmar, suggesting an explicit border-crossing scenario of M. micrantha. The M. micrantha management program has produced positive but short-term results due to the conduction of general investigations, establishment of an extensive monitoring network, development of integrated measures, and improvements of public awareness and participation. However, the long-term management performance was hampered by overlapping departmental functions, lagging and unreliable public feedback, inadequate funding, and biased and passive strategies. We suggest that invasive species committees, social media tools, public-private partnership, and forest restoration and conservation and biological control could greatly improve the situation. This regional-scale research provides referential insights for the development of biological invasion management systems in developing economies under transboundary contexts. Highlights • Mikania micrantha has invaded southwest China through the border with Myanmar. • The current management program features effective but short-term performance. • Several factors hamper the long-term performance of Mikania micrantha management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drought is a meteorological phenomenon that negatively impacts agricultural production. In recent years, southwest China has frequently experienced agricultural droughts; these have significantly impacted the economy and the ecological environment. Although several studies have been conducted on agricultural droughts, few have examined the factors driving agricultural droughts from the perspective of water and energy balance. This study aimed to address this gap by utilizing the Standardized Soil Moisture Index (SSMI) and the Budyko model to investigate agricultural drought in southwest China. The study identified four areas in Southwest China with a high incidence of agricultural drought from 2000 to 2020. Yunnan and the Sichuan-Chongqing border regions experienced drought in 10% of the months during the study period, while Guangxi and Guizhou had around 8% of months with drought. The droughts in these regions exhibited distinct seasonal characteristics, with Yunnan experiencing significantly higher drought frequency than other periods from January to June, while Guizhou and other areas were prone to severe droughts in summer and autumn. The Budyko model is widely used as the mainstream international framework for studying regional water and energy balance. In this research, the Budyko model was applied to analyze the water and energy balance characteristics in several arid regions of southwest China using drought monitoring data. Results indicate that the water and energy balances in Yunnan and Sichuan-Chongqing are more moisture-constrained, whereas those in Guizhou and Guangxi are relatively stable, suggesting lower susceptibility to extreme droughts. Furthermore, during severe drought periods, evapotranspiration becomes a dominant component of the water cycle, while available water resources such as soil moisture decrease. After comparing the causes of drought and non-drought years, it was found that the average rainfall in southwest China is approximately 30% below normal during drought years, and the temperature is 1–2% higher than normal. These phenomena are most noticeable during the spring and winter months. Additionally, vegetation transpiration is about 10% greater than normal during dry years in Southwest China, and soil evaporation increases by about 5% during the summer and autumn months compared to normal conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study of border resilience is an effective means to analyze the development status of border cities. This study constructs a border city resilience assessment framework, measures the urban resilience level of 13 prefecture-level administrative regions in China's northeastern border region from 2010 to 2019, reveals their temporal and spatial differentiation characteristics, analyzes the main obstacles, and proposes development strategies. This study reveals the following: (1) The overall resilience of the northeast border cities is at a medium level, and differences between regions and cities are large. (2) The resilience of the northeast border cities increased rapidly between 2010 and 2015, especially in the western area; the improvement effect was poor between 2015 and 2019, and except for the increased resilience of individual cities in the eastern area, the development of other cities was slow and some even declined. (3) At the city scale, the development potential, economic structure, residents' security, and environmental governance capabilities are the main factors restricting improvement in the basic resilience of the northeast border cities. Insufficient national policy support and the poor development of neighboring countries have become obstacles to cities' exclusive resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: Biodiversity hotspots often span international borders, thus conservation efforts must as well. China is one of the most biodiverse countries and the length of its international land borders is the longest in the world; thus, there is a strong need for transboundary conservation. We identify China's transboundary conservation hotspots and analyse the potential effects of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) on them to provide recommendations for conservation actions. Location: China, Asia. Methods: We compiled a species list of terrestrial vertebrates that span China's borders. Using their distribution, we extracted the top 30% of the area with the highest richness value weighted by Red List category and considered these transboundary hotspots for conservation priority. Then we analysed protected area (PA) coverage and connectivity to identify conservation gaps. To measure potential impact of the BRI, we counted the species whose distribution range is traversed by the BRI, and calculated the aggregation index, proportion of natural land and night light index along its routes. Results: We identified 1964 terrestrial vertebrate species living in the border region. We identified four transboundary hotspots and found insufficient PA coverage and low connectivity in three of them. The BRI routes intersected all four hotspots and traversed 82.4% (1619/1964) of the transboundary species, half of which (918) are sensitive to the potential risks brought by the BRI. Night light index increased generally along the BRI. However, the proportion of natural land and the aggregation index near the BRI showed different trends in hotspots. Main Conclusions: There is an urgent need for conservation action in China's transboundary region. The BRI should put biodiversity conservation at the core of its development strategy. Furthermore, we suggest using the planned BRI as a platform for dialogue and consultation, knowledge and data sharing, and joint planning to promote transboundary conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mass screening and treatment (MSAT) for malaria elimination lacks an ideal diagnostic tool to allow sensitive and affordable test of the target population in the field. This study evaluated whether Capture and Ligation Probe-PCR (CLIP-PCR) could be used in a field MSAT in Laiza City, Myanmar. Methods: On day 0, two dried blood spots were collected from each participant. On day 1, all samples were screened for Plasmodium in a 20 m2 laboratory with workbench, a biosafety cabinet, a refrigerator, a benchtop shaking incubator and a qPCR machine, by four technicians using CLIP-PCR with sample pooling, at a health clinic of the Chinese bordering town of Nabang. On day 2, all positives were followed up and treated. Results: Of 15,038 persons (65% of the total population) screened, 204 (1.36%) were CLIP-PCR positives. Among them, 188, 14, and 2 were infected with Plasmodium vivax, Plasmodium falciparum, and P. vivax/P. falciparum mix, respectively. The testing capacity was 538 persons/day, with a cost of US$0.92 /person. The proportion of submicroscopic infection was 64.7%. All positive individuals received treatment within 72 h after blood collection. Conclusion: Using CLIP-PCR in MSAT in low transmission settings can support the malaria elimination efforts in the China-Myanmar border region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how a social system based on bilateral and non-hierarchical kinship is able to establish and maintain systems of authority. The Muga Lahu in Yunnan practise a bilateral and non-lineal kinship system based on the gender equality principle, and communal life is also based on equal couples' kinship networking, bound to non-lineal ties through marriage. The Lahu here never practise matrilineal, patrilineal or cognatic kinship and descent in daily life, but an individual couple is bound to immediate ancestors through the redistribution of cropland property. In communal life, family separation and farmland reorganization are carried out dynamically through the marriages of the younger generation. The flexible kinship group establishes labour-sharing, ritual-participating and intermarriage groups in everyday life. Therefore, the kinship system is closely bound to farmland redistribution and the continuation of families. This bilateral, non-lineal kinship system constitutes a dynamic social institution, but all couples are equal to each other. Due to the lack of authority over the equality of social units such as equal couples, the Lahu communal authority historically comes from superior external powers, such as the religious power linked with religious movements involved in the Yunnan-Burma frontier formation since the 1720s. The established Lahu political system was destroyed by the coming of the Qing and the Republic states, because of its anti-Han or anti-state stance in frontier history. It is clear that the superior religious power over the kinship network worked as a means of social mobilization through religious movements, and became the authority source for social cohesion in history, but it has been replaced by state-appointed cadres in current communal life in China. The Lahu case shows that more attention should be paid to the relationships between frontier history, dynamic kinship and social organization among ethnic minorities in Chinese and South East Asian frontier societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive alien species (IAS) significantly impact biodiversity, human health, and economies, and considerable resources are often used to manage their spread. Few studies have focused on the human perception of IAS management, and little is known about approaches to improve stakeholder perception. This study examined perception gaps between managers and non-managers of a notorious weed Mikania micrantha and the preference for educational approaches to bridge those gaps. Household questionnaires and key informant interviews were conducted in the China-Myanmar Border Region (China), and ordinal logistic regressions and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were used in statistical analyses. We found a high level of perception of M. micrantha among stakeholders, and a significant influence of socio-demographic factors including gender, educational level, ethnic group, and geographical location. Scores of the identification, damage, control measure, and manual treatment of M. micrantha were significantly higher for managers than those for non-managers, indicating that there were certain perception gaps between two stakeholder groups. Nine educational approaches were identified as being effective in improving stakeholder perception of IAS, of which training workshops were mostly preferred, followed by brochures (or leaflets) and other promotional materials. Additionally, we propose that well-designed and well-conducted educational approaches would benefit stakeholder perception of IAS, and that integration of IAS management into a comprehensive rural development scheme would improve its long-term performance in marginalized rural communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Antimalarial drug resistance has emerged as a major threat to global malaria control efforts, particularly in the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS). In this study, we analyzed the polymorphism and prevalence of molecular markers associated with resistance to first-line antimalarial drugs, such as artemisinin, chloroquine, and pyrimethamine, using blood samples collected from malaria patients in the China–Myanmar border region of the GMS from 2008 to 2017, including 225 cases of Plasmodium falciparum and 194 cases of Plasmodium vivax. In artemisinin resistance, only the C580Y mutation with low frequency was detected in pfk13 , and no highly frequent stable mutation was found in pvk12. In chloroquine resistance, the frequency of K76T mutation in pfcrt was always high, and the frequency of double mutations in pvmdr1 of P. vivax has been steadily increasing every year. In pyrimidine resistance, pfdhfr and pvdhfr had relatively more complex mutant types associated with drug resistance sites, and the overall mutation rate was still high. Therefore, artemisinin-based combination therapies are still suitable for use as the first choice of antimalarial strategy in the China–Myanmar border region in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Erdkunde is the property of Universitaet Bonn, Geographisches Institut and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

English Abstract: Formerly localized, restricted border interaction between China and Southeast Asia has shifted to extensive cross-border engagement along regulated borders with a hierarchy of crossings and expansive borderlands. This expanded security system reveals rescaled and repositioned border security infrastructure and practice into a point and corridor system with vanguard crossings at Hekou, Mohan and Ruili. Fundamental shifts are concurrent focus on primary crossings and spatially extensive borderlands that encompass diminished attention to lesser crossings, beyond the border implementation of security checkpoints, mobile security, and compromise, to enable effective management of expansive borderlands. These borderlands mediate space and enable spatial reapportionment of security to accommodate greatly enhanced cross-border flows of people, goods, and information, thus shaping extensive spaces of exclusion and integration and focused places of exception. Spanish Abstract: La anteriormente restringida interacción fronteriza China–Sudeste Asiático, cambió a un extenso compromiso de fronteras reguladas con una jerarquía de cruces y zonas transfronterizas expansivas. Este sistema ampliado de seguridad, revela la infraestructura y prácticas transfronterizas reescaladas y reubicadas como puntos y sistemas de corredores con cruces de vanguardia en Hekou, Mohan y Ruili. Los cambios se enfocan en los cruces primarios y extensión de fronteras, disminuyendo la atención a los cruces menores —después de la implementación de puntos de control de seguridad—, la seguridad móvil y el compromiso a una gestión fronteriza eficaz. Estas zonas permiten la redistribución espacial de la seguridad acomodando los intensificados flujos transfronterizos de personas, bienes e información, conformando espacios de exclusión e integración, así como lugares de excepción focalizados. English Abstract: Formerly localized, restricted border interaction between China and Southeast Asia has shifted to extensive cross-border engagement along regulated borders with a hierarchy of crossings and expansive borderlands. This expanded security system reveals rescaled and repositioned border security infrastructure and practice into a point and corridor system with vanguard crossings at Hekou, Mohan and Ruili. Fundamental shifts are concurrent focus on primary crossings and spatially extensive borderlands that encompass diminished attention to lesser crossings, beyond the border implementation of security checkpoints, mobile security, and compromise, to enable effective management of expansive borderlands. These borderlands mediate space and enable spatial reapportionment of security to accommodate greatly enhanced cross-border flows of people, goods, and information, thus shaping extensive spaces of exclusion and integration and focused places of exception. Spanish Abstract: La anteriormente restringida interacción fronteriza China–Sudeste Asiático, cambió a un extenso compromiso de fronteras reguladas con una jerarquía de cruces y zonas transfronterizas expansivas. Este sistema ampliado de seguridad, revela la infraestructura y prácticas transfronterizas reescaladas y reubicadas como puntos y sistemas de corredores con cruces de vanguardia en Hekou, Mohan y Ruili. Los cambios se enfocan en los cruces primarios y extensión de fronteras, disminuyendo la atención a los cruces menores —después de la implementación de puntos de control de seguridad—, la seguridad móvil y el compromiso a una gestión fronteriza eficaz. Estas zonas permiten la redistribución espacial de la seguridad acomodando los intensificados flujos transfronterizos de personas, bienes e información, conformando espacios de exclusión e integración, así como lugares de excepción focalizados. French Abstract: L'interaction frontalière entre la Chine et l'Asie du Sud-Est, autrefois localisée et limitée, s'est transformée en un engagement transfrontalier réglementé avec une hiérarchie de passages et des zones frontalières étendues. Ce système de sécurité élargi révèle une infrastructure et une pratique de sécurité frontalière redimensionnées et repositionnées dans un système de points et de corridors avec des passages d'avant-garde à Hekou, Mohan et Ruili. Les changements fondamentaux se concentrent sur les principaux points de passage, les zones frontalières étendues, la mise en œuvre de points de contrôle de sécurité, la sécurité mobile et le compromis, pour permettre une gestion effi cace des zones frontalières étendues. Ces dernières permettre ent la médiation de l'espace et la réaffectation spatiale de la sécurité afin d'accueillir des fl ux transfrontaliers de personnes, de biens et d'informations considérablement accrus, façonnant ainsi de vastes espaces d'exclusion et d'intégration et des lieux d'exception ciblés. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Yunnan province is located near the "Golden Triangle" border region between China, Myanmar and Thailand, which has the highest HIV/AIDS prevalence in China. Female sex workers (FSWs) in the Yunnan province are highly vulnerable to HIV infection. The objective of this study was to examine the experiences of FSWs in the Yunnan to better understand the risk of infection and the potential for transmission of HIV.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between May 2018 and June 2018 with 20 FSWs recruited in Hekou County, Yunnan Province, China. Thematic analysis was conducted to identify themes that highlighted increased exposure of FSWs to the risk of HIV infection and transmission.Results: The findings showed that FSWs' primary source for HIV information was gynecologists, with few visiting the local HIV charity Red Ribbon. FSWs reported infrequent visits for check-ups with some seeing a gynecologist once a year. FSWs felt that the onus was on them to prevent STI/HIV infection by using a condom during sex, regardless of their ability to negotiate use. FSWs were also reluctant to see a gynecologists for treatment. Instead, they resorted to douching as a way of preventing HIV/STIs and treating vaginal health problems, such as leucorrhea. Most FSWs worked without the influence of alcohol and drugs. A small number of FSWs reported heroin addiction and injecting drug use.Conclusion: The findings suggest a need for innovative HIV prevention strategies among FSWs and their clients in the Chinese border region. Governmental agencies should continue to implement practical strategies in terms of HIV prevention education and condom use through tailored interventions that are localized. Such strategies should include localized tailored interventions that dispel myths about douching as a method of HIV/STI prevention and incorporate a mobile outreach approach, similar to the 'roadside restaurant' outreach that has been successful in rural China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The malaria elimination plan of the Greater Mekong Subregion (GMS) is jeopardized by the increasing number of Plasmodium vivax infections and emergence of parasite strains with reduced susceptibility to the frontline drug treatment chloroquine/primaquine. This study aimed to determine the evolution of the P. vivax multidrug resistance 1 (Pvmdr1) gene in P. vivax parasites isolated from the China–Myanmar border area during the major phase of elimination. Methods: Clinical isolates were collected from 275 P. vivax patients in 2008, 2012–2013 and 2015 in the China–Myanmar border area and from 55 patients in central China. Comparison was made with parasites from three border regions of Thailand. Results: Overall, genetic diversity of the Pvmdr1 was relatively high in all border regions, and over the seven years in the China–Myanmar border, though slight temporal fluctuation was observed. Single nucleotide polymorphisms previously implicated in reduced chloroquine sensitivity were detected. In particular, M908L approached fixation in the China–Myanmar border area. The Y976F mutation sharply decreased from 18.5% in 2008 to 1.5% in 2012–2013 and disappeared in 2015, whereas F1076L steadily increased from 33.3% in 2008 to 77.8% in 2015. While neutrality tests suggested the action of purifying selection on the pvmdr1 gene, several likelihood-based algorithms detected positive as well as purifying selections operating on specific amino acids including M908L, T958M and F1076L. Fixation and selection of the nonsynonymous mutations are differently distributed across the three border regions and central China. Comparison with the global P. vivax populations clearly indicated clustering of haplotypes according to geographic locations. It is noteworthy that the temperate-zone parasites from central China were completely separated from the parasites from other parts of the GMS. Conclusions: This study showed that P. vivax populations in the China–Myanmar border has experienced major changes in the Pvmdr1 residues proposed to be associated with chloroquine resistance, suggesting that drug selection may play an important role in the evolution of this gene in the parasite populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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In the context of widespread interests in China's agro-state-owned enterprises (SOEs), this article starts demystifying four narratives prevailing internationally. In this intellectual landscape, the article coins an innovative approach, 'farm as business borderland' to investigate an agro-SOE in Tanzania. Based on the ethnographic case study, the article presents the tensions arising between the case farm and its Beijing headquarters on the one hand, and between Chinese managers and local stakeholders on the other. The authors examine the reasons why the travelling business bureaucracy rationalities from Beijing to Tanzania works and how this is adapted locally in the farm's daily practices. The authors also explore why and how Chinese managers' footloose expatriate lifestyle is not as relevant as normally expected in constructing convergence with locals. Finally the article discusses the implications of the new approach on international development inquiry and global governance practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on contemporary geographies of trade between Lhasa, China and Kalimpong, India. The article examines the reopening of a trade route that has historically connected Lhasa with Kalimpong. The transnational mobility across border regions is examined and issues related to economic change in Tibet, India, and China are analyzed. A brief history of the trade route is provided. Anecdotes based on ethnographic fieldwork are provided. Also provided is an examination of how two groups, one for and one against the reopening of an additional trade route, both coincide with and fight against state-focused ideas about space.

Argues that the Communist official discourse concerning organized migrations to the peripheral minority areas in China in the 1950s and 1960s plays a crucial role for migrants today. Reproduction of the political legitimization for resettlement of Han Chinese in minority areas.

Simple Summary: During the latest upsurge of the desert locust, swarms in northern Pakistan and India approached the Chinese border areas. In view of the recent windborne movement into China of another very serious migratory pest, the fall armyworm moth, we investigated the risk of the desert locust invading China. Our analysis shows that China is not likely to experience invasions of desert locust swarms (except, possibly, very marginal incursions on the Nepal border) and there was no likelihood that desert locust would become established in China over the next few decades. Recently, the most serious upsurge of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) in the last 25 years is spreading across eastern Africa and southwestern Asia. Parts of the desert locust 'invasion area', namely the northern border areas of Pakistan and India, are very close to China, and whether locust swarms will invade China is of wide concern. To answer this question, we identified areas of potentially suitable habitat for the desert locust within China based on historical precipitation and temperature data, and found that parts of Xinjiang and Inner Mongolia provinces could provide ephemeral habitat in summer, but these places are remote from any other desert locust breeding areas. New generation adults of the desert locust in Pakistan and India present since April led to swarms spreading into the Indo-Pakistan border region in June, and so we examined historical wind data for this period. Our results showed that winds at the altitude of locust swarm flight blew eastward during April–June, but the wind speeds were quite slow and would not facilitate desert locust eastward migration over large distances. Simulated trajectories of desert locust swarms undertaking 10-day migrations mostly ended within India. The most easterly point of these trajectories just reached eastern India, and this is very close to the eastern border of the invasion area of desert locusts described in previous studies. Overall, the risk that the desert locust will invade China is very low. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]