China Digest #110

Mimi Lau reports on the developing flood disaster in the central Chinese city of Zhengzhou following record-smashing rains which have pushed the Yellow River to extreme heights, threatening nearby dams. Hear first-hand accounts of people trapped in subway trains as flood waters filled the tunnels, and analysis from Beijing-based reporter Echo Xie on how these floods differ from last year's floods on the Yangtze River.

Flood crisis in China's crossroads megacity: disaster in Zhengzhou

In recent years Japan has found itself increasingly at a crossroads between its post-War ally, the United States, and rising neighbor, China. U.S. Editor and Chief Desk Editor of Nikkei Asia, Ken Moriyasu, examines the geopolitics, trade, and history that play a role in shaping Japan’s ties with both major powers.

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Japan's Foreign Relations: Balancing the United States and China | Ken Moriyasu

South Sudan marked its tenth anniversary this month as an independent country. Regrettably, though, after a decade of civil war and divided government that has left at least 400,000 people dead and displaced a third of the population, there isn't much to celebrate.

From the beginning, China's played an important role in South Sudan, from the creation of the country to playing a lead mediation role in the peace process to being the only major power with combat troops on the ground operating under UN command.

With the peace process now largely stalled, a lot of people are now looking to Beijing to see what China can do to get the rival parties back to the table to bring about an end to the fighting.

Wake Forest University Assistant Professor Lina Benabdallah recently moderated an invite-only workshop among leading Chinese and African scholars, activists, and former diplomats that examined what China can do to help revitalize the South Sudan peace process. Lina joins Eric & Cobus to share some of the highlights from that forum.

JOIN THE DISCUSSION:
CAP on Facebook: www.facebook.com/ChinaAfricaProject
Twitter: @eolander | @stadenesque | @lbenabdallah

Purchase a copy of Lina's book: Shaping the Future of Power: Knowledge Production and Network-Building in China-Africa Relations

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China's Role in Re-Energizing the South Sudan Peace Process

China’s natural environment has paid a high price for the nation’s economic success. And despite the Chinese government’s aversion to collective action, there are NGOs working hard to save the environment. So how do NGOs operate in this milieu? How much of Beijing’s recent concern for the environment is owed to the actions of civil society? Human geographer Professor Mark Wang and political scientist Associate Professor Fengshi Wu examine the state of environmental politics in China with presenter Peter Clarke. 
An Asia Institute podcast (https://arts.unimelb.edu.au/asia-institute/ear-to-asia). 
Produced and edited by Profactual - the Podcasting Specialists (https://www.profactual.com). 
Music by audionautix.com.

Ear to Asia podcast

Who's fighting for the environment in China?

Australia’s relationship with China has been in sharp decline, fuelled by a critical government agenda and a hostile media environment. The trust, warmth and confidence towards China is at a record low, and the majority of Australians now see it as a major security threat.

In his new book China Panic, David Brophy offers a progressive alternative to Australia’s relationship with China aside from paranoia and pandering, with solutions and strategies that strengthen Australian democracy.

Guest: Dr David Brophy (Senior Lecturer in modern Chinese history, University of Sydney)

Recorded on 22nd July, 2021.

Asia Rising

China Panic

Indonesian President-elect Prabowo Subianto will take office later this year at a critical time when regional tensions over territorial disputes in the South China Sea are surging.

And this won't be just a foreign policy challenge for the new president. Chinese ships have crossed into Indonesia's exclusive economic zone near the Nantuna Islands at the bottom tip of Beijing's controversial ten-dash line.

Managing the escalating crisis in the South China Sea is going to be a "pivotal" challenge for Prabowo, according to Muhammad Zulfikar Rakhmat, director of the China-Indonesia desk at the Center of Economic and Law Studies. Zulfikar joins Eric from Jakarta to discuss how he thinks Prabowo is going to handle what's becoming a very volatile situation.

Indonesia’s Role In The Burgeoning South China Sea Crisis

Research by The Donkey Sanctuary is continuing to reveal the staggering scale and demand for donkey meat and skins, and its threat to the global donkey populations and their welfare. 

In Italy alone almost 6,000 donkeys are now farmed for their milk, but this is dwarfed by the numbers in China, where millions are farmed for their skins to produce a medicinal gelatin (ejiao) that is traded as traditional Chinese medicine.

Crisis in the community: Rise in the donkey skin trade

China is embarking on an aggressive media campaign in Africa with the launch of CCTV's new broadcast operation in Nairobi, Kenya. The network says it hopes to join BBC, CNN and Al Jazeera among the major players in the international news business. Both Cobus and Eric have their doubts that Beijing is actually capable of attaining that goal given the fact that CCTV does not have a very good track record producing compelling content for an international audience.

China in Africa Podcast: China's big media push in Africa

The China Africa Project is a multimedia resource dedicated to exploring every aspect of China’s growing engagement with Africa.  Through a combination of original content and curation of third-party material from across the Internet, the CAP’s objective is purely informational.  None of the blog’s authors or producers have any vested interest in any Chinese or African position.

Consultant at Carnegie Moscow Center | Ex Young Ambassador at Carnegie-Tsinghua Center, Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO) and Russian Presidential Academy (RANEPA) graduate

China's Role in Re-Energizing the South Sudan Peace Process

The China-Global South Project

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