Evolution and Features of China’s Central Government Funding System for Basic Research

Basic research is believed to be a crucial factor for building national innovation capacity and therefore was perceived as a key battleground for national technological and economic competition. Since the economic reform and opening up in the late 1970s, China has made great achievements in building up its national research system. However, the lacking capabilities to conduct ground-breaking scientific work remain one of the daunting challenges for the country. How to restructure its funding system for basic research so to reinvigorate its indigenous innovation capacity has been one of the main concerns for the Chinese government in recent years. To address this, the paper proposes a conceptual framework to analyze how China’s central government funding system for basic research has evolved since 1985. The paper concludes with a discussion of the identified problems and challenges that China is facing in its current funding system for basic research.

Crisis transformations of socio-economic systems

Crisis phenomena threats are growing on national and global scale against the background of tightened geopolitical and geo-economic competition. Such trends as destruction and degradation, are becoming integral parts of change in the vital function of economic agents, institutional structures at different levels. Therefore, the search for an alternative paradigm for the study and assessment of the transformations of socio-economic systems (SES) is one of the topical directions in the development of economic science. In the objective conditions of constant renewal of world economic relations, proceeding from the multilevel nature of social changes, the article substantiates the need for innovative ways to search, develop and implement strategic guidelines that exclude the raw type of economic development. From the standpoint of the self-organization theory, it specifies that an open system is, as a rule, in a state of unstable equilibrium. The article proves that the purpose of theoretical research and practical actions should be the implementation of controlled effective evolutionary and revolutionary qualitative changes. At the turn of the third millennium, under the increasing impact of periodic civilizational shocks at the stages of economic and political cycles, the determinants of SES stability change over a long period. The transformation of natural factors requires scientific understanding - from motive levers into constraints on the potential for economic growth. The growing volumes of services and the virtual economy are hardly comparable with the products of the industrial sector, while the excessive polarization of incomes hinders economic dynamics. Arguments are given that the processes of changing existing SES can be accompanied by their deformation. The forces of the fall are opposed by compensatory mechanisms of reimbursement for the loss of material, human, information resources. The author focuses on the need to organize and manage the new approaches to the management of SES changes, having in mind time and space scale of the development of integral, interconnected bodies of social and economic agencies at state, corporative as well as individual levels. Crisis shocks of SES transformation are mainly linked with reasons stemming from financialization processes, weakening of sovereignty due to the expansion of global value chains, as well as from major emergencies and disasters, unexpected climate changes, etc. The article suggests improving the conceptual apparatus of transformational changes. The leading trend in modern science is interdisciplinarity. Integration of various scientific disciplines should affect both economics and institutional, social, spiritual, ethnic, moral spheres of life.

International economy: deepening and expanding research potential in Ukraine

The topical issues of the development of the research potential of Ukraine in the field of international economics , capable of creating scientific support for the foreign economic activity of entrepreneurial structures and government organizations in the context of world and European integration, have been investigated. The creation of the infrastructure of research organizations specializing in the international economics has been substantiated, in particular, the feasibility of creating research institutes in the USA and Canada, Europe, and the Center for International Agricultural Business. The article considers the expediency of conducting research on the issues of cooperation with interstate integration associations of countries, including the EU, ASEAN, TPP, APEC, BRICS, for the implementation of the country's foreign economic policy. A special place in the system of international economics research should be occupied by the problems of Industry 4.0 and the leadership of Ukrainian IT companies in the system of global economic competition. The state of the staffing of research activities in international economics is analyzed and proposals for training of highly qualified specialists in international economics in large industrial centers: Kharkov, L’viv. Dnieper, Odessa and Zaporizhia are formulated.

TURKISH-IRANIAN COMPETITION IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS AND CENTRAL ASIA

Turkey and Iran have maintained stable relations for decades and established cooperation by exploring their common interests despite many political disputes, ideological differences, or economic competition. But recently, many emerging disagreements of the two neighbors started to test the breaking point of this longtime balance. Today, Ankara and Tehran are trying to get a better hand against each other through diplomatic, military, and economic instruments. Starting by presenting an overview of Turkish-Iranian relations, this article focuses on the main points of friction between the two actors in the South Caucasus and Central Asia. The region is going through a critical juncture with crucial events such as the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020 and the aftermaths of the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. So far, Turkey has increased its regional influence by strengthening its economic and diplomatic presence and establishing military cooperation. This target is pursued through the Turkic identity, which provides the ideological basis for Ankara’s regional strategy. The Islamic Republic of Iran, on the other hand, is trying to defend the regional status quo to resist the containment strategy and international isolation that it has been facing since the revolution. The “axis of resistance” idea that Iran pursues, especially in the Middle East, is almost nonexistent in the Central Asian and Caucasian region due to the Russian factor, lack of sympathy to such an approach on the part of the regional actors, and the Regime’s reluctance to change the status quo in its Northern and Eastern borders. In addition to Ankara and Tehran’s competing regional desires, several bilateral problems to solve in energy, trade, security, and migration management put the actors on the opposing sides. The study claims that the incompatibility between the actors’ regional strategies increases to the point that their rivalry in the Middle East will expand to Central Asia and the Caucasian region. But in contrast to this slow process, there are imminent common issues that can only be solved by a joint effort by Turkey and Iran, and this necessity will restrain the damages of this incompatibility on bilateral relations.

Improving the strategy to create a profitable and sustainable business in the era of economic competition in Indonesia

This project aims to improve business strategies to increase profits and sustainability in the era of business competition. The data that we use to answer the discussion of this study is sourced from some literature published in several journals such as books, procedures at other times. We then analyzed the data using a phenomenological approach, a method for exploring the data and then analyzing it under an in-depth interpretation approach to the coding system and evaluating analysis to provide the data as findings to answer high-quality questions. The data search is carried out by procedures and electronically with a keyword system. Based on the existing data and the discussion, we can finally conclude that the results include strategies to increase profits and business continuity in this competitive era is the ability instead of moving a business to understand the business world, study business strategies, understand and know the business competition system and have extensive knowledge of business that is run in an era full of intense competition. Hopefully, these insights to be a good input material to support future studies.

Leaping over the Dragon's Gate: The “Air Silk Road” between Henan Province and Luxembourg

This article traces the process behind the implementation of the “Air Silk Road,” a cargo flight connection between Luxembourg and Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province. Its origins lie in economic competition between Henan and its neighbouring provinces, dating back a decade before the official announcement of the Air Silk Road in 2017. Provincial and municipal governments in Henan displayed opportunistic risk-taking behaviour in persistently pushing for the development of Zhengzhou's airport economy, but only timing and coincidence allowed the province to gain a foothold in the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). With findings drawn from fieldwork in China between 2019 and 2020, we contribute to an understanding of the implementation of the BRI, the underlying rationale and the challenges inland provinces face in integrating into the world economy.

CHINA AND NEW SILK ROAD

China crept to the top of the global system based on a thoughtful plan initiated by communist party. The aim is to make China a supreme force competing the United States of America as declared by some Chinese leaders who agreed that at the beginning of 2030 China will be in the first place globally. These statements have pushed the United States to adopt the policy of strategic competing in an attempt to halt China progression. In the middle of this political and economic conflict, global changes become clear on the international stage and clearer on the Middle East stage. The study seeks to shed light on the effect of Silk Road on global domination and rising forces in different continents. In addition, to shed light on significant reflections of the global system especially economic system in the light of technologic and economic competition and the effect of this competing on Arab region and its surroundings. The most important is to show the role of the American- Chinses relations in the global system, stability and its effect on some commercial systems and global trade in general.

Evolution of Approaches to Countering Hybrid Threats in the European Union’s Strategic Planning

This article aims to identify the main components of the EU approach to countering hybrid threats. To achieve this goal, research questions were posed: 1) How does the theory of hybrid warfare define hybrid threats, what are its strengths and weaknesses? 2) How is the approach to combating hybrid threats regulated in the EU? 3) What changes are taking place in this approach under the influence of trends in recent years, including the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic? The author concludes that the “open architecture” of the hybrid war theory, the wide possibilities of interpreting the definition of hybrid threats allow us to improve practical measures and theoretical approaches to security problems. However, as economic competition and political contradictions under geopolitical rivalry deepen, the approach to countering hybrid threats is hyper politicized, being used to justify sanctions pressure, strengthening military blocs or massive psychological campaigns against a political adversary. The EU tries to develop and improve a systemic approach to ensuring security in the context of the growth of hybrid threats. However, this approach is increasingly deformed under the influence of above-mentioned hyperpoliticization. This is especially evident in the EU’s attitude towards Russia and China, which are constantly accused of creating hybrid threats. The excessive use of the rhetoric of the hybrid war theory in the EU discourse jeopardizes the security of Europe.

Administrative services in the sphere of economic competition

The article considers the issues of administrative services provided by the bodies of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine and other bodies of public administration in the field of application of the legislation on protection of economic competition. The range of subjects of public services in the field of application of the legislation on protection of economic competition to which it is offered to carry bodies of the Antimonopoly committee of Ukraine, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine is defined. The list of services provided by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine is determined. These include: 1) granting permission for concentration; 2) granting permission to coordinate actions; 3) issuance of additional copies of certified copies of decisions on issues provided for in part two of Article 34 of the Law of Ukraine "On Protection of Economic Competition"; 4) preliminary conclusions on the qualification of actions (Article 14 of the Law of Ukraine "On Protection of Economic Competition"); 5) preliminary conclusions on concentration, concerted actions. It is proposed to extend the provisions of the Law of Ukraine "On Administrative Services" to services provided by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine insofar as it does not contradict the legislation on protection of economic competition. Proposals have been developed to amend the Regulations on the procedure for submitting applications to the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine for prior obtaining a permit for concentration of economic entities in terms of clarifying the subjects of application for a concentration permit. Administrative services of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine are service activities of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine defined by normative legal acts aimed at meeting the private needs (interests) of business entities in the field of legal relations arising in connection with the application of legislation on protection of economic competition. related to the protection of their legitimate rights and interests). The administrative service of the bodies of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine is provided exclusively on the basis of the application of the relevant business entity. Based on the results of the administrative service, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine provides the subject of the application with an administrative act (permit) or a document.