SASS STUDIES Volume 18 (Summer 2020)

70 Years of China’s Economic Diplomacy: Views and Choices

Sun Yiran

Sun Yiran, Research Professor, Institute of World Economy, SASS

E-mail: sunyiran@sass.org.cn

This paper in Chinese was originally published in World Economy Studies, 2019 (10).

Abstract: Over the past 70 years after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, China’s economic diplomacy has experienced different stages of development, and occupied an increasingly important position in China’s overall diplomacy. As an embodiment of national will, economic diplomacy reflects a country’s cognitive judgment of the international order, its priority order of national interests, and strategic choice of implementation plans. From this perspective, the rich connotations of China’s economic diplomacy can be summarized as a concise clue, that is, how to realize and promote the country’s core interests in an effective and feasible way under the specific background of international order. China’s unique views on international order and interests shape the understanding of the background of decision making and the goals pursued at different stages, thereby affecting and determining the choices of specific paths.

Keywords:The 70^th Anniversary;Economic Diplomacy; International Order; National Interests; Strategic Choice

Development Environment of Shanghai in the New Era

Wang Jian, Hu Xiaopeng, Li Kaisheng, Wu Qisheng, Ke Jing, Zhang Qun, Yu Xiaojing

Wang Jian, Research Professor, Director, Institute of International Relations, SASS

E-mail: jwang@sass.org.cn

Hu Xiaopeng, Research Professor, Deputy Director, Institute of World Economy, SASS

Li Kaisheng, Research Professor, Deputy Director, Institute of International Relations, SASS

Wu Qisheng, Associate Research Professor, Institute of International Relations, SASS

Ke Jing, Assistant Research Professor, Institute of International Relations, SASS

Zhang Qun, Assistant Research Professor, Institute of International Relations, SASS

Yu Xiaojing, Assistant Research Professor, Institute of Applied Economics, SASS

Abstract: There are four parts in this report. The first part explains Missions and Tasks for Shanghai in the New Era. The authors first discuss basic characteristics of economic development in the new era, namely new normal of development, new strategic imperatives and new competition landscape. The authors then elaborate missions and tasks for Shanghai in the new era. They are: the “Five Centers” initiative, three strategic tasks, and making China International Import Expo as a platform. The second part evaluates Domestic and International Environment for Shanghai’s Development. The authors first investigate four major aspects of domestic development environment, including potentials of economic development, science and technology progress and industrial upgrading, inter-provincial competition for premium resources, and regional cooperation led by central cities. The international development environment is also reviewed from four perspectives: international political situation, international economic and trade landscape, international financial environment, and global development of science and technology. The third part discusses Challenges and Opportunities for Development of Shanghai. The authors first analyze the challenges facing Shanghai, including external risks due to changing global political situation, proliferation of new generation international trade and investment rules, changing international financial environment, and global science and technology revolution. Based on that and Shanghai’s own advantages, the authors investigate into such factors as global industrial upgrading, deteriorating external environment, resource and environmental constraints, as well as intensifying inter-regional competition for premium resources, and analyze possible opportunities for Shanghai in industrial capacity building and further opening up in trade and the financial sector. In the fourth part, based on the changing domestic and international environment as well as their impact on Shanghai’s development, the authors put forward detailed policy suggestions in three aspects — strategic layout, building core competitiveness and improvement of business improvement.

Research on Effective Government, Effective Market and Business EnvironmentOptimization: Taking Shanghai as an Example

Ni Wai

Ni Wai, Associate Research Professor of Institute of Economics, SASS

E-mail: niwai@sass.org.cn

This paper in Chinese was originally published in Shanghai Journal of Economics, 2019 (10).

Abstract: The core of business environment is the institutional soft environment, which is essentially the contract execution efficiency. A good business environment can only be established by coordinating the roles of “effective government” and “effective market”. Shanghai is a typical government-led business environment, whose distinctive features and shortcomings reflect the advantages and limitations of the government’s functional mechanism. Based on the international standard evaluation and the comparison of different indicators between Shanghai’s business environment and the world-leading cities, it is found that the disparity is mainly shown at three levels: absolute disparity, relative disparity and “no significant disparity”; the existing level and optimization orientation of Shanghai’s business environment are more favorable for mature enterprises, rather than growth-oriented enterprises; and optimizing existing business environment can promote the globally-oriented open economic development of Shanghai. The core path of optimizing Shanghai’s business environment is to make innovations in the supervisoryand service mode based on market mechanism, build a unified market system for SMEs and private enterprises; establish a fairer and more efficient market exit mechanism, and improve the institutional soft environment.

A Philosophical Review of Comtemporary Quantum Theory

Cheng Sumei

Cheng Sumei, Research Professor, Institute of Philosophy, SASS

E-mail: csm@sass.org.cn

This paper in Chinese was originally published in Social Sciences in China, 2019 (02).

Abstract: The rapid development of modern quantum technology has verified the correctness of quantum theory. Quantum theory not only opens up a new era of natural science and technology research, providing a new conceptual framework for us to understand the microscopic world and develop new technologies, but also presents a crucial philosophical declaration, which is mainly reflected in four aspects: Firstly, it establishes the concept that “the microscopic world is discontinuous”; secondly, it argues that microscopic particles are abstract reality, which can be neither observed directly nor conceptualized; thirdly, it advocates using abstract mathematical thinking, rather than image thinking; fourthly, it reveals that quantum theory is talking about the world, not describing it. The formation of these philosophical ideas does not mean that we give up the reality of theory, but changes the way we understand the reality of theory, and then shows that the deeper knowledge of mathematics and physics will lead to more innovative philosophical ideas.

On the Expression of Environmental Rights in the Constitution of China and the Implementation of Such Provisions

Peng Feng

Peng Feng, Research Professor, Institute of Law, SASS

E-mail: pengfeng@sass.org.cn

This paper in Chinese was originally published in Political Science and Law, 2019 (10).

Abstract: The concept of the environmental right originated from western countries in the mid-19^th century and was introduced into China in the 1980s. During the course of amending the Constitution in 2018, the issue of whether environmental rights should be constitutionalized again aroused attention of various parties who held different opinions. Globally, the environmental rights in Western constitutions may be manifested as either human rights or rights of nature, of which environmental rights as human rights may be further manifested as the right to freedom, the right to political participation, the right to society, and the right to solidarity, which are protected in the Constitution. If the Constitution only confirms a single environmental right enjoyed as an individual right, such environmental right will not enjoy superiority in competing with other rights, instead, it goes against environmental protection. The debate over the constitutionalization of environmental rights should shift towards the implementation of provisions of the Constitution on guaranteeing the environmental rights, focusing on the quality and implementing effect of environmental legislation.

Enabling and Implementing: The Development of Political Party Organizations in the New Technology Era

Shu Yun

Shu Yun, Assistant Research Professor, Institute of Politics and Public Administration Studies, SASS

E-mail: shuyunfd@163.com

This paper in Chinese was originally published in Academic Monthly, 2019 (12).

Abstract: Party politics is the concentrated embodiment of political modernization, and advancements in information technology play an important role in the development of party politics. This paper tries to analyze the influence of new information technology on the development of political party organizations with two concepts of “technology enablement” and “technology enactment”. “Technology enablement” emphasizes the impact of technology on governance itself. It is manifested by the use of mobile Internet technology by political party organizations to strengthen “persuasion and propaganda”, and the use of voter analysis (based on positioning and data analysis technology) and customized push function to “guide and manipulate” elections. As for “technology enactment”, it is argued that the technology to be implemented is different from the objective technology in the process of embedding technology into an organization. There is an institutional lag in the use of technology by political party organizations, which tend to implement new technologies in a way that strengthens the existing structure. Under the joint effect of the logic of the party organization and the logic of technology, the Communist Party of China (CPC) has formed a technology application mode initiated by its internal organizations and promoted by the organizational way. Finally, this paper discusses the impact of information technology on archives recording, information storage and information processing, explores whether the impact will trigger internal changes in the political party organizations, and investigates the relationship between the logic of the political party and the logic of technology.

Keywords: Technology Era; Political Party Organization; Technology Enabling; Technology Implementing

The Establishment of Administrative Region and Powers of Municipality of Greater Shanghai during the Period of Nanking National Government

Jiang Baolin

Jiang Baolin, Associate Research Professor, Institute of History, SASS

E-mail: jiangbaolin@sass.org.cn

This paper in Chinese was originally published in Historical Review, 2019 (04).

Abstract: In the early days, Nanking National Government established a regime of “special municipality” in parallel to the province. In July 1927, Special Municipality of Greater Shanghai was officially established, but scopes of its jurisdiction and governing powers were not comprehensively defined for a long time. Its administrative region was mainly transferred from ShanghaiCounty and BaoshanCounty in JiangsuProvince. After repeated negotiations and compromises between Nanking National Government, the province, the municipality, the counties and local gentries, its administrative region was basically made clear in July 1928. However, the incompleteness of the division scheme and the uncertainty of interpretation led to frequent disputes over the division and transfer of all parties for administrative powers. Administrative powers for “territory” of Special Municipality of Greater Shanghai remained ambiguous for a decade. Establishment process of administrative region and powers of Municipality of Greater Shanghai demonstrated the complexity of the relationship between the central and local governments and the multiple echelons of “localism” during the period of Nanking National Government.