Cross-Strait Economic Interdependence and the Prospects for Peace between Mainland China and Taiwan

<p>The further development of economic globalisation causes the status and effect of economic factors to continuously increase in international relations. This new characteristic is increasingly apparent in cross-strait relations as the course of the reform and opening-up in mainland China, as well as the development of cross-strait economy and trade. Particularly since the mainland and Taiwan signed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) in 2010, economic development has become one of the most important issues between the two sides. Since the détente between the mainland and Taiwan in the 1980s, cross-strait economics and trade have displayed two primary characteristics. First, the volume of trade, the amount of investment, and especially the economic interdependency between the two sides are all constantly increasing. Second, although under the influence of fluctuating political relations, the cross-strait economic relationship is still maintaining a stable development tendency. Due to the impact of economic globalisation, both the mainland and Taiwan are re-examining their own economic interests and have realized that economic relations form the cornerstone of their relationship. The expanding common interest which is generated from the deepening cross-strait economic exchanges between the mainland and Taiwan is becoming the key factor in both governments’ political considerations. Cross-strait economic and trade development is thus becoming an interests mechanism which maintains the framework of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. This thesis argues that cross-strait economic interdependence and cross-strait relations are inherently and interactively related. From the viewpoint of Neoliberalist Theory and Interdependent Theory, and on the basis of the development course of cross-strait economy and trade, this article analyzes the interactive effect between the cross-strait economy and cross-strait relations, especially the political relations from many factors such as the signing of ECFA, the impact of Taiwanese businessmen’s investment in the mainland, and the mainland's Taiwan policy. This thesis concludes that on the one hand, the increase in cross-strait economic interdependence will promote peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. On the other hand, stable cross-strait relations will also provide a policy guarantee and a peaceful scope for the future development of the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan.</p>

Cross-Strait Economic Interdependence and the Prospects for Peace between Mainland China and Taiwan

<p>The further development of economic globalisation causes the status and effect of economic factors to continuously increase in international relations. This new characteristic is increasingly apparent in cross-strait relations as the course of the reform and opening-up in mainland China, as well as the development of cross-strait economy and trade. Particularly since the mainland and Taiwan signed Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement (ECFA) in 2010, economic development has become one of the most important issues between the two sides. Since the détente between the mainland and Taiwan in the 1980s, cross-strait economics and trade have displayed two primary characteristics. First, the volume of trade, the amount of investment, and especially the economic interdependency between the two sides are all constantly increasing. Second, although under the influence of fluctuating political relations, the cross-strait economic relationship is still maintaining a stable development tendency. Due to the impact of economic globalisation, both the mainland and Taiwan are re-examining their own economic interests and have realized that economic relations form the cornerstone of their relationship. The expanding common interest which is generated from the deepening cross-strait economic exchanges between the mainland and Taiwan is becoming the key factor in both governments’ political considerations. Cross-strait economic and trade development is thus becoming an interests mechanism which maintains the framework of peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. This thesis argues that cross-strait economic interdependence and cross-strait relations are inherently and interactively related. From the viewpoint of Neoliberalist Theory and Interdependent Theory, and on the basis of the development course of cross-strait economy and trade, this article analyzes the interactive effect between the cross-strait economy and cross-strait relations, especially the political relations from many factors such as the signing of ECFA, the impact of Taiwanese businessmen’s investment in the mainland, and the mainland's Taiwan policy. This thesis concludes that on the one hand, the increase in cross-strait economic interdependence will promote peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait. On the other hand, stable cross-strait relations will also provide a policy guarantee and a peaceful scope for the future development of the relationship between mainland China and Taiwan.</p>

Swimming with or Against the Tide: Has the International Labour Organisation Been Co-Opted by Neoliberal Hegemony

<p>Work is one, if not the, primary mechanism through which the majority of the world's population experience economic globalisation. Work is intimately connected to matters of human rights, social equality, welfare, and class struggle and it is increasingly determined by activities that occur in the international and transnational levels. Neoliberal globalisation has fundamentally restructured the world of work. It has also undermined the social democratic worldview of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on which the global governance portfolio for labour most squarely falls. The ILO's current Director General Juan Somavia, in referring to this era of neoliberal hegemony, has said that "the ILO has often been swimming against the tide". This thesis undertakes a thorough examination of Somavia's statement in order to determine the extent to which the neoliberal tide has saturated the organisation and its ideas?</p>

Swimming with or Against the Tide: Has the International Labour Organisation Been Co-Opted by Neoliberal Hegemony

<p>Work is one, if not the, primary mechanism through which the majority of the world's population experience economic globalisation. Work is intimately connected to matters of human rights, social equality, welfare, and class struggle and it is increasingly determined by activities that occur in the international and transnational levels. Neoliberal globalisation has fundamentally restructured the world of work. It has also undermined the social democratic worldview of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) on which the global governance portfolio for labour most squarely falls. The ILO's current Director General Juan Somavia, in referring to this era of neoliberal hegemony, has said that "the ILO has often been swimming against the tide". This thesis undertakes a thorough examination of Somavia's statement in order to determine the extent to which the neoliberal tide has saturated the organisation and its ideas?</p>

A Discourse on Innovation of English Teaching in China from the Perspective of Artificial Intelligence

With the progression of economic globalisation, China’s expectations about the quality of English teaching in the country have increased, and because of the restrictive drawbacks of orthodox English teaching models, they cannot meet these requirements. The emergence of artificial intelligence (AI) technology can create new opportunities for the optimisation of English teaching. As such, this study aims to systematically review and analyse the current research on the innovations afforded by AI for China’s English teaching model, especially the application of AI in unquiesced English teaching. The descriptive–analytical approach is used to study and analyse the literature. The research results highlight evidence of success cases, illustrating that the implementation of AI in English teaching in China can provide new ideas and create new spaces for the innovation of teaching models. Keywords: artificial intelligence; English teaching in China; innovation in English teaching

The Loss of Diversity in the Anthropocene Biological and Cultural Dimensions

Theories of nationalism emphasise its standardising effects. Ernest Gellner compared the pre-nationalist world to a painting by Kokoschka (a colour extravaganza) and the world of nationalism as one by Modigliani (calm, monochrome surfaces), while Benedict Anderson showed how the standardisation of language through the medium of printing was a condition for shared national identities. In this article, homogenisation remains a concern, but the empirical framework differs from that of late 20th century theory. Taking its cue from Charles Mann’s 1493, a study of the world after Columbus where the term Homogenocene was proposed, the article shows how homogenisation is a key element in modernity, and analyses some implications of its recent acceleration. The effects of economic globalisation are detrimental to both biological and cultural diversity, since the Anthropocene era does not only refer to a reduction of biological diversity but also the incorporation of cultural groups into market economies, the loss of languages and of traditional livelihoods. The article then briefly surveys some responses to the upscaling of economies, the flattening of ecosystems and the growing power of corporations. The loss of flexibility is countered in a number of ways, from attempts to restore damaged ecosystems to groups defending their cultural and political autonomy. The analysis argues for a broad definition of politics (seen as the political), thereby questioning the ability of the state to solve the dilemma, which is a dual one relating simultaneously to cultural and biological loss. The conclusion is that upscaling (e.g., to the global system) is usually part of the problem rather than the solution, and that sideways scaling may address the shortcomings of downscaling (e.g., to the community level).

Buildings for Dollars and Oil: East German and Romanian Construction Companies in Cold War Iraq

This article discusses the partial integration of companies from socialist Eastern Europe into the nascent economic globalisation in the late Cold War. By focusing on the industrial slaughterhouse designed and built in Baghdad by East German and Romanian companies (1974–81), it shows how they operated within and across the political economy of state socialism and the emerging, Western-dominated market of construction services. In Baghdad, East Germans and Romanians struggled with working across differing monetary regimes, inefficient corporate structures and the requirement to comply with Western standards and regulations. This article shows how they strived to bypass obstacles and to exploit opportunities stemming from their liminal and unequal position in Iraq. By zooming into architectural and engineering documentation, it argues that petrobarter agreements, or the exchange of crude oil for goods and services, shaped programmes, layouts, technologies and materialities of buildings constructed by Eastern Europeans in Iraq and the region.