ABSTRACTS

3 Knowledge System and Discipline Construction of Area Studies

by Qin Yaqing, Sun Jisheng, Yang Dan & Wang Zhanpeng

【Abstract】The Catalogue of Graduate Education Disciplines 2022—jointly issued by the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council and the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China on September 13, 2022—lists Area Studies as an independent first-level discipline under the interdisciplinary category, which features a knowledge system and construction approach with Chinese characteristics. In terms of the knowledge system, Area Studies will deliver descriptive, academic and applied knowledge, and the three types of knowledge complement each other. To be specific, descriptive knowledge is the foundation and integral part of the knowledge system; academic knowledge focuses on revealing the behavioral patterns of a specific area or country and examining to what extent relevant findings can be generalized to other situations; and applied knowledge attempts to address major national issues. At the initial stage of discipline construction,instead of grading the knowledge and discipline system, attention should be given to facilitating the integration of the three types of knowledge, and identifying interdisciplinary innovation potentials. The discipline will highlight interdisciplinary research and integration of different disciplines to seek innovation. In this sense, the research methods and paths of International Political Linguistics and Management can provide inspiration. Area Studies and other disciplines may support each other and develop in a coordinated way to build a multidisciplinary platform for scholars, a talent training platform, an academic exchange platform and a social service platform. At its infancy stage, Area Studies in China should give priority to tapping the potential of interdisciplinary research agenda by learning from,integrating and coordinating with traditional disciplines in order to make theoretical and knowledge system innovation, thus gradually establishing its independent identity.

【Key Words】Area Studies, country and area-specific studies, discipline construction,inter-discipline

25 The Trade and Cooperation Agreement and Future UK-EU Relations

by Pan Duo & Wang Mingjin

【Abstract】After the UK formally withdrew from the EU at the end of January 2020,the relationship between the two sides entered a transition period. Despite the shocks of Brexit delays and the COVID-19 pandemic, Britain and the EU managed to conclude a Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) without extending the transition period, reaching an understanding on the future of their relationship. The TCA, which provides the basic framework for the future relationship, consists of four pillars: A Free Trade Agreement, a cooperative partnership on a wide range of economic, social and environmental aspects, a new security partnership for UK and EU citizens, and a horizontal agreement on governance. The signing of the agreement helped to ensure a smooth transition to a post-Brexit UK-EU relationship by avoiding Brexit without any treaties and its possible negative effects, and outlining the general direction of the future bilateral relationship. It means that Britain has withdrawn from the EU Single Market and Customs Union, as well as all EU policies and international agreements, and that EU-UK relations have entered into a new phase. However, due to lack of willingness and time constraints, the hastily concluded TCA risks being modified, suspended or even completely terminated. The TCA means a major shift in UK-EU relations and its influence will gradually become more pronounced as time goes on.

【Key Words】Brexit, the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, Brexit negotiations,Northern Ireland Protocol, UK-EU relationship

46 Asymmetric Security Dependence, Threat Perception and the Divergent Responses to AUKUS in Six Southeast Asian States

by Xing Ruili

【Abstract】Although the formation of AUKUS by the US, the UK and Australia has aroused great concerns within ASEAN, there are obvious differences in the responses by ASEAN members to AUKUS. This paper argues that asymmetric security dependence at the structural level and threat perceptions at the unit level are the main factors that account for the divergent responses of six Southeast Asian states, including Indonesia,Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Vietnam and Thailand. The empirical analysis here suggests that Indonesia and Malaysia, which are less dependent on the United States for security, are opposed to AUKUS because they feel keenly about the threat posed by neighboring Australia, and are worried about the intensification of the regional arms race and the dilemma of having to take sides. The Philippines, Singapore, and Vietnam tend to welcome AUKUS since they are highly dependent on the US for security, and are suspicious of China’s expanding regional influence. Although Thailand is highly dependent on the US for security, it tends to take a cautious wait-and-see attitude because of its low perception of external threats. These divergent responses to AUKUS have worsened the differences among ASEAN members, complicated their relations with the US, and eroded China-ASEAN solidarity. Since ASEAN states are China’s important partners in responding to AUKUS, China needs to be attuned to the different attitudes and positions of ASEAN countries, and make tailored responses.

【Key Words】asymmetric security dependence, threat perception, AUKUS,ASEAN ,the Australia-UK-US partnership (AUKUS)

64 Biden’s Semiconductor Policy towards China: Competitive Perceptions, the Containment Strategy and Constrained Effects

by Qi Kai & Li Yan

【Abstract】The power of a great power, especially its economic power, is particularly undergirded by its industrial power. After about half a century, the power of the US semiconductor industry has greatly declined, with its dominance now challenged.With the rapid development of information technology and the intensifying strategic competition between China and the US, the power of the semiconductor industry has become one of the critical issues in the relationship between the two countries. Since taking office, the Biden administration, which has made the issue a focal point in its China policy, has actively promoted the so-called “industrial security review,” and developed a set of competitive and hostile perceptions about the current situations of the semiconductor industry in China and the US. Aiming at a comprehensive containment of China’s semiconductor industry, the Biden administration has used the CHIPS and Science Act as a major lever. Domestically, it has sought to revitalize its semiconductor industry through increased investment by pooling resources from the government and private sectors, and strengthening the resilience of the semiconductor supply chain.Externally, it has worked with US allies to carry out an aggressive all-round containment of China’s semiconductor industry. Although Biden’s policy has had some short-term impact on China, its ultimate result is highly uncertain because it is essentially against the law of industrial development, contradicts the development trend of science and technology, and faces various constraints at home and abroad.

【Key Words】semiconductor, the Biden administration, CHIPS and Science Act,industrial power, China-US Relations

84 The Biden Administration’s Science and Technology Competition with China

by Huang Zhaolong

【Abstract】With the deepening of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and China-US strategic competition, the adjustment of US S&T strategy toward China and the China-US S&T competition have attracted a lot academic attention. In order to systematically and objectively examine the logic and practice of the Biden administration’s S&T strategy towards China, this paper constructs a multilayered analytical framework, centering on the actors (i.e., US scientists), the institutional environment, means of technological restriction, means of market restriction, and the actors in target countries (e.g., scientists in China). An empirical analysis of all the S&T strategy documents, bills and specific practices adopted by the US federal government and Congress since Biden took office shows that the strategy has been comprehensively enhanced and upgraded from the inside out. Biden for the rest of his term or his successors are not likely to change the basic direction in which the US will continue to deepen its technological competition with China. China needs to strengthen its strategic confidence and realize the strategic goal of becoming an S&T power as soon as possible through improving its innovation system and international cooperation.

【Key Words】the Biden administration, US S&T strategy, Sino-US S&T competition,Sino-U.S. strategic competition

110 The CPC’s International Outreach: The Perspective of Major Power Diplomatic Capacity Innovation

by Wen Yao

【Abstract】The Communist Party of China (CPC) has devoted more resources to international outreach (IO) than most political parties in the world. The CPC’s IO,which is an important part of Chinese diplomacy, has distinctive “Chinese characteristics.”From a comparative perspective, the distinctiveness of the CPC’s IO can be generalized as a major power’s ability to innovate diplomatically. When major powers possess similar willingness and resources, they tend to develop similar diplomatic tools, resulting in head-to-head competition. When major powers differ in these respects, those with distinctive conditions are able to mobilize unique diplomatic resources and translate them into regular diplomatic tools, thus acquiring unique innovative capacity. The CPC’s IO is typical of this unique capacity. Buttressed by the CPC’s domestic standing and resource endowment, its IO has been steadily turned into diplomatic resources with progress in the Party’s and the state’s development. The CPC’s IO, which has seen specialization in terms of internal coordination, issue area expansion, and institutionalization, has evolved into one of China’s regular diplomatic tools. At the levels of domestic politics, interstate politics, and transnational politics, it has generated positive effects in terms of the exchange of governance experiences, policy communications, and contribution to global governance. Whether these effects can be sustained and even enhanced will depend on whether the CPC’s interlocutors can be encouraged to show more initiative.

【Key Words】the Communist Party of China, international outreach, diplomatic capacity, innovation

132 Complexity Science and Theories of International Relations: Exploring a Perspective on Innovation

by Liu Mengqiang

【Abstract】In recent years, there have been academic efforts to approach theoretical innovation in the international relations through the introduction of complexity science.Specifically, this can be achieved through two paths: subordinating complexity science to international relations, or subordinating international relations to complexity science.Despite the impressive progress that has been made, there are still some problems in this enterprise. Drawing on previous studies and insights from the history of science,this paper puts forward a framework of theoretical innovation by distinguishing and defining complexity and complexity science. The key lies in breaking the confines of the traditional mechanical worldview. In international relations, the mechanical worldview is embodied in three “core assumptions,” namely paradigm simplification, the deductive logic of the theoretical construction in international relations, and the initial conditions of war (which determine the development path of international relations). In contrast, based on the complexity perspective, this paper proposes three core notions about complexity:the inductive method, the complex characteristics of systems in the international relations,and taking complexity as what it is.

【Key Words】theories of international relations, complexity science, mechanical core,paradigm simplification, inductive method