Thursday, June 30, 2016

Turkey's Erdogan to meet Putin at G20 summit in China

DAILY STAR - Jun. 29, 2016
 
ANKARA: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to meet with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on the sidelines of the forthcoming G20 summit in China, their first face-to-face talks for months following a bitter diplomatic row.
"A meeting is planned in China during the G-20 summit in September," a Turkish official told AFP Wednesday speaking on condition of anonymity.

Turkey and China sign deal on nuclear cooperation

DAILY SABAH - June 29, 2016

Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak (L) and Chinese National Energy Administration Director Nur Bekri signed a memorandum of understanding for the mutual development of the nuclear technology and cooperation between Turkey and China.
During his visit to China to attend the G20 Energy Ministers Meeting, Energy Minister Albayrak signed a memorandum of understanding with his Chinese counterpart with the aim of the mutual development of nuclear technology and cooperation between Turkey and China  Energy and Natural Resources Minister Berat Albayrak and Chinese National Energy Administration Director Nur Bekri signed a memorandum of understanding regarding the cooperation between the two countries in the field of nuclear power, yesterday. The memorandum covers the mutual development of the nuclear technologies and cooperation between Turkey and China.  Arriving China in the morning with local time for the G20 Energy Ministers Meeting in Beijing, Minister Albayrak also attended the opening ceremony. After the family photo shooting and opening session, Albayrak held a series of bilateral meetings.  Albayrak's first meeting was with European Commissioner for Climate Action and Energy Miguel Arias Canete. Canete started his speech by condemning the terrorist attack that hit Istanbul on Tuesday and uttered his condolences. Energy collaboration between Turkey and EU, energy section in particular, was discussed during the meeting. Following his meeting with Canete, Albayrak came together with International Energy Agency Executive Director Fatih Birol and Japanese State Minister Tasuga Takegi. Takegi also condemned the terrorist attack at Istanbul Atatürk Airport and gave his condolences to Turkish people through Albayrak.

READ MORE....

Monday, June 27, 2016

South-South: Intellectual History across Middle East and South Asia, 1857- 1948

Columbia University Workshop | New York, NY | October 20-21, 2016

Organizers: Roy Bar Sadeh (Graduate Student, History, Columbia University) and Esmat Elhalaby (Graduate Student, History, Rice University)

Keynote Speakers: Kavita Datla (Associate Professor of History, Mt. Holoyoke) and Umar Ryad (Associate Professor of Islamic Studies, Universiteit Utrecht)

Despite historiographical overtures to the global, and spirited polemics decrying area studies’ analytical limits, something called South Asia and another thing called the Middle East persistently structure—and stricture—scholarly inquiry in the academy and beyond. Accounts of Indian or Arab intellectual production in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries often confine themselves to non-European confrontations with European epistemologies, capital, and guns. With the critiques of Orientalism, modernization theory, and Westernization having complicated triumphalist narratives of this encounter, serious attention to south-south intellectual histories remains rare. Early modernists are often the most cogent critics of the modernist scholars’ Eurocentrism, tracing connections between the Middle East, South Asia, and elsewhere that bypass Europe. Yet Europe’s hegemony in the modern world’s political economy and imagination did not preclude profound inter-connections between the non- European world. In fact, the conditions of global European capital made new engagements between the colonized and peripheral world necessary.
This workshop highlights the content and conditions of South Asian and Middle Eastern thought in tandem. Reading a European archive alongside one in languages like Hindi, Urdu, Arabic, Persian and Ottoman, cities like Beirut, Calcutta, Delhi, Mecca, Cairo, and Bombay and educational spaces like Aligarh Muslim University, Nadwat al-ʿUlama, Osmania University, Cairo University, the American University of Beirut and the Oxford Majlis, exposes new historical networks and challenge existing modes of analysis.
The workshop aims to raise a set of interdisciplinary historical, historiographical and theoretical questions: What kinds of significant geographies are produced, traversed and imagined in the nineteenth century and after between the Middle East and South Asia? Does the presence of a shared Islamicate past adequately explain Indian and Arab Muslim affiliations? How are the Jewish, Christian, Zoroastrian and Hindu intellectual communities part of this Islamicate? How is modernist thought or critiques of secularism or theories of anti-colonialism related in this unwritten history of Asian intellectual interaction? What role did political economy of colonialism play in restructuring the conditions of the early modern’s “connected histories”? What new networks of intellectual exchange and new patterns of racialization emerged? How do we historically recuperate these South-South histories without succumbing to the follies of the post-colonial states?
Submission of Abstracts
The workshop will bring together early career scholars—graduate students and pre-Tenured faculty—across discipline to participate in this two day intensive workshop. We encourage applications from outside Europe and US.
We invite abstracts of 300 words and brief scholarly biography to southsouthworkshop (at) gmail.com no later than
15 July 2016. Acceptance notifications will be sent by 15 August 2016. We encourage faculty to seek funding from their institutions; limited travel subsidies and accommodation will be provided to graduate presenters. We will make all efforts to especially fund scholars from outside US and EU.
The workshop is sponsored by the Center for International History, and the Department of History.

Sunday, June 26, 2016

International Affairs - Special Issue: Chinese foreign policy on trial: contending perspectives?

The Royal Institute of International Affairs
July 2016  Volume 92, Issue 4  Pages i–xii, 769–1039

YONGJIN ZHANG

JINGHAN ZENG and SHAUN BRESLIN

YONGJIN ZHANG

The sources of China's assertiveness: the system, domestic politics or leadership preferences? (pages 817–833)
NIEN-CHUNG CHANG LIAO

China and its neighbourhood: transformation, challenges and grand strategy (pages 835–848)
ZHANG YUNLING

WU XINBO

ZHOU FANGYIN

ZHAO HUASHENG

China's ambition in the South China Sea: is a legitimate maritime order possible? (pages 909–940)
KATHERINE MORTON

PETER FERDINAND

RICHARD MAHER

JINGDONG YUAN

Three perspectives on Chinese diplomacy: government, think-tanks and academia (pages 987–992)
KAI CHEN

Chinese Envoy Zhang Tao: Relations with Turkey multidimensional, important

ALI ÜNAL

DAILY SABAH - JUNE 22, 2016

The charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Ankara, Zhang Tao, said that Turkish-Chinese relations are multidimensional and very important from China's perspective and stressed that downgrading bilateral relations between the two countries only to discussion about Xinjiang would undermine bilateral relations. Speaking to journalists at an iftar (fast-breaking dinner) hosted by the Chinese Embassy in Ankara on Wednesday evening, Zhang said that China conducts a peaceful development and improvement policy, but it does not mean that China will diverge from its national interests. Zhang said the three fundamental policies in China are reform, progress and stability.  Giving detailed information about China's policy on Xinjiang's Uighur population, Zhang claimed that the central government in Beijing is not implementing oppressive policies against Uighurs. "During years of 1982 to 2000, the Uighur population has shown a 40.8 percent increase. While the Uighur population in Xinjiang in 1949 was 3 million, this number increased to 10 million in 2013. … Even during the one-child policy era, Uighurs in Xinjiang were allowed to have more than one child.

READ MORE.....

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Turkey agrees China's stance for resolving disputes via dialogue

Xinhua | 2016-06-25

China is not obliged to accept the arbitration over its disputes with the Philippines in the South China Sea and the presence of outside forces there is "very risky," the chief of Turkey's Patriotic Party said on Friday.  "It seems that the arbitration from an international tribunal will be used for military purposes," observed Chairman Dogu Perincek. "It will be used to apply some kind of pressure on China."  In 2013, the Philippines unilaterally filed compulsory arbitration against China at the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague with respect to the two sides' disputes in the South China Sea.  China maintains that the tribunal handling the arbitration proceedings has no jurisdiction over the case, which is in essence about territorial sovereignty and maritime delimitation.  Perincek described the arbitration by the tribunal as "an obvious intervention into the regional countries' sovereignty," saying China as an independent and sovereign country "has no obligation to obey the decision of the international tribunal."  "China has been following a policy of sharing the wealth of the region with others based on mutual respect," he told Xinhua in an interview. "The Philippines is a very luck country for having a neighbor like China which has been pursing peaceful policies."  He referred to the "Belt and Road" initiative, calling it a "very peaceful" project reflecting China's "peaceful philosophy."  Perincek agreed with Beijing's insistence on resolution of the disputes through negotiations and dialogue.  "The only solution will be through cooperation and dialogue in the region," he said, describing China's efforts to keep foreign powers out of the disputes as "an assurance for the neighbors in solving the South China Sea disputes."  Speaking of U.S. involvement in the sea, he saw a "very dangerous" strategy being adopted by Washington to move away from the Middle East toward the Asia-Pacific region.  "The U.S. has been pursuing its own plans in the region and the region is becoming a center of conflicts," the party chief remarked.  He spoke of Washington's intention to "stop and prevent the rise of China" as well as "encircle" and "contain" the country.  "We can say that this strategy is very dangerous," he said. "The U.S. policy on the South China Sea disputes is part of that strategy which sabotages China's peaceful development."  "The only solution would be possible when the international powers are excluded from the region," Perincek stressed. "All other countries in the region should come together to develop genuine solutions in particular for that sea."

READ MORE.....

Call for research participants - non-Chinese academics working in mainland China


Foreign academics working in mainland Chinese universities: Documenting and sharing teaching, learning and research experiences

As China continues to internationalise its tertiary sector, increasing numbers of non-Chinese academics are working in universities in the mainland. At the same time, increasing numbers of Chinese students are traveling abroad to study. This research project aims to document the experiences of foreign academics teaching and researching in China, whether in a local institution, a joint program or an offshore campus. These experiences have potential to contribute to those teaching the increasing numbers of Chinese students who are studying abroad, and to those working within the building of effective transnational education programs.
This research aims to provide both practical information that may be valuable to those working in the international education sector, and to contribute to theoretical discussions about the relationship between culture, knowledge and understandings of educational practice.
 This research explores the hypothesis that foreign academics in China may be learning new ways to approach their discipline’s key issues and to consider new and alternative knowledge. This study will examine the way that knowledge is constructed in a cross-cultural setting and how notions of ‘critical thought’ are understood and conceptualized.
Interviews are taking place now either via phone, or, if possible, in person. Some questions you may expect include:  What are the key challenges to your role? What are the key opportunities the role provides for you? How is working in China different to your experience in other countries? Have you changed your teaching or research practice since taking up your position in China? What advice do you have for other foreign academics working in China? What could your experience contribute to those teaching Chinese students in your home country?
All interviews will be treated confidentially and all results will protect participant’s anonymity.

Invitation to participate
This research project is seeking interviews with foreign (non-Chinese) academics working in any discipline in either a mainland tertiary institution, a joint program or in an offshore campus.
Participants should be career academics who are qualified with a PhD and who are teaching at least a percentage of their time in China.
If this sounds like you, please get in touch with Dr Angela Lehmann at Department of Sociology and Social Work at The University of Xiamen: (email) lehmann(at)xmu.edu.cn (wechat) AngelaLehmann or (mobile) +8615960843826 to arrange an interview.

Friday, June 24, 2016

Cfp: China in the Middle East and Central Asia - 5th Global International Studies Conference 1-3 April, 2017 | National Taiwan University


Proposed Title:

China in the Middle East and Central Asia

This Panel will be co-sponsored by
  
Center for Global Studies - Shanghai University

Fifth Global International Studies Conference
1-3 April, 2017 | National Taiwan University

Dear all,

The World International Studies Committee is holding a conference in collaboration with the Taiwan Association of International Relations (TAIR) and National Taiwan University. The conference will take place on 1-3 April 2017 at National Taiwan University (http://www.ntu.edu.tw/english/) in Taipei.

After the start of the One Belt-One Road initiative, China has pursued strong cooperation with the Middle East and Central Asian countries. As a result of this initiative, President Xi Jinping has made several visits to these regions in order to promote strong and growing ties as well as economic investment. However, this “project” is not a new phenomenon for the region, actually it extends back centuries to traditional economic and social relations between Chinese, Muslims and Jews. On the other hand, Iran, Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Israel want to enhance or revitalize their trade with a globalized China. The Chinese President recently visited Uzbekistan and there he met with several other Presidents from the region. These events mark changing dynamics for Central Asian states vis a vis their growing relations with China. In this panel, we would like to review these changes and dynamics from economic, social and political perspectives.      

If you are interested in participating in our panel together on China in the Middle East and Central Asia, please let us know off the list. The deadline is the June 30 2016. We welcome submissions related to, but not limited to the following subjects:

-      China and the Middle East: Iran, Turkey, Israel and Arab World
-      China and Central Asian States: Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Turkmenistan

 Email us the following information by Thursday, June 30 midnight :

-Abstract, 200 words
-Title of your paper
-Your short bio, up to 100 words, including your institutional affiliation, email, etc. 

Please use the following emails for the submissions and communication:


Any questions or suggestions are welcome.

Best to all, 

Professor Guo Changgang, Shanghai University gchgang@staff.shu.edu.cn
Professor Tugrul Keskin Maltepe University and Shanghai University tugrulk@vt.edu
Jonathan Fulton, Zayed University Jonathan.Fulton@zu.ac.ae

The Foreign Minister of China, Wang Yi berates a journalist for her neo-orientalist question


Cfp: Regional/Area Studies and Neo-Orientalism in Middle East and Chinese Studies - Fifth Global International Studies Conference 1-3 April, 2017 | National Taiwan University


Proposed Title:

Regional/Area Studies and Neo-Orientalism in Middle East and Chinese Studies

This Panel will be co-sponsored by
  
Sociology of Islam Journal
Center for Global Studies - Shanghai University

Fifth Global International Studies Conference
1-3 April, 2017 | National Taiwan University

Dear all,

The World International Studies Committee is holding a conference in collaboration with the Taiwan Association of International Relations (TAIR) and National Taiwan University. The conference will take place on 1-3 April 2017 at National Taiwan University (http://www.ntu.edu.tw/english/) in Taipei.

Regional or area studies was born under colonialism and imperialism as part of Western academia, specifically in Europe and US. This new academic approach gave a birth to a new scholarship which was termed ‘Orientalism’ by Edward Said. Orientalist scholarship dominated US academic institutions in the history, political science, anthropology fields within Middle East Studies, Soviet/Slavic Studies, African Studies, Asian Studies and Latin American Studies in the cold war era. However, the collapse of the soviet system and emergence neoliberal globalization has changed the focus of regional/area studies after 1991. Specifically, new scholarship has arisen in the areas of International and Global Studies, Sociology and International Relations as well as scholarship concerning new geographical and cultural commodities such as democracy, human rights, freedom, free press, free election in Modern China Studies, Central Asian Studies, Middle East and Islamic Studies, African Studies, and so on. In this way there was the emergence of a new form of scholarship, which is different from classical orientalism. We call this Neo-Orientalism. In this panel, we would like to focus on how these issues apply within Modern China Studies and Middle East and Islamic Studies.

If you are interested in participating in our panel together on Regional/Area Studies and Neo-Orientalism in Middle East and Chinese Studies, please let us know off the list. The deadline is the June 30 2016. We welcome submissions related to, but not limited to the following subjects:

-      Modern China Studies and Orientalism/Neo-Orientalism
-      Modern Middle East/Islamic Studies and Orientalism/Neo-Orientalism

 Email us the following information by Thursday, June 30 midnight :

-Abstract, 200 words
-Title of your paper
-Your short bio, up to 100 words, including your institutional affiliation, email, etc. 

Please use the following emails for the submissions and communication:


Any questions or suggestions are welcome.

Best to all, 

Professor Guo Changgang, Shanghai University gchgang@staff.shu.edu.cn
Professor Tugrul Keskin Maltepe University and Shanghai University tugrulk@vt.edu

Thursday, June 23, 2016

New transport corridor to connect China, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran

KAZAKH TV - 15.06.2016

The new railway line, which connected China, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Iran, was presented in the Chinese city of Yiwu. It is expected that the transport corridor will greatly enhance trade between the two countries. The main advantage of the new branch is the speed of delivery of goods. A freight train will pass the distance of 10 thousand kilometers in two weeks. Opportunities of fast trade have aroused great interest among entrepreneurs.

Xai zhang SHIEN, DEPUTY HEAD, GANSU LOGISTICS COMPANY:
Previously, the transport of goods from China was mainly carried out by sea and by air. One route was very long, the other expensive. And now there is a great alternative. Rail transportation reduces both time and costs. Goods from China through Kazakhstan come to Europe in only 15 days. We appreciate the transit potential of Kazakhstan.

Kanat ALPYSBAYEV, VICE PRESIDENT, KAZAKHSTAN TEMIR ZHOLY:
This is one of the large industrial centers, cities of China, which is aimed at export-oriented production of the country. Today we met with a number of logistics companies, as well as with the chiefs of the city mayor’s office to establish a direct mutually beneficial relationship. We discussed a number of issues related to the provision of logistics transportation of Chinese goods through Kazakhstan in the direction of Central Asia, Afghanistan, Iran and Europe. By 2020, up to 700 thousand containers will be annually transported through this route. According to experts, Kazakhstan will be able to increase trade turnover by 8 times. The special economic zone Khorgos-Eastern Gate will also contribute to this goal. Its construction is scheduled to be completed this year.

Gas supply via Turkmenistan-China pipeline increases

Trend News Agency - 23 April 201

About 10.6 billion cubic meters of natural gas was supplied via Central Asia-China gas pipeline, which starts in Turkmenistan, in January-March 2016 that is by 33 percent more than in the same period of 2015, Chinese Xinhua news agency reported.  Central Asia-China gas pipeline starts in Turkmen-Uzbek border city of Gedaim, runs through Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan and crosses the Chinese-Kazakh border in Khorgas (also known as Khorgos, Chorgos and Gorgos) city.  The pipeline's length is 1,830 kilometers and its total capacity will reach 55 billion cubic meters a year, said the agency.  In recent years, the tendency of sustainable growth has been maintained in natural gas supply volume, which is being supplied to China via Central Asia-China gas pipeline. It is the first transnational gas pipeline in China.  The project will be completed until 2020, according to the agency.  More than 140 billion cubic meters of natural gas were transported to China via the pipeline's A, B and C lines from late 2009 until March 2016.

Turkmenistan, China intend to bring bilateral relations to higher level

Trend News Agency - 21 June 2016

By Huseyn Hasanov

Turkmenistan and China have discussed a wide range of issues on the international agenda.
The discussions were held in Ashgabat during a meeting with Special Envoy on Afghan Affairs of China’s Foreign Ministry Deng Xijun, said the message from Turkmenistan’s Foreign Ministry.
The parties emphasized that Turkmenistan and China have similar positions on ensuring peace, security and sustainable development in the region and in the world in general.
They also expressed commitment to further developing the regional and international cooperation.
The parties further pointed out the strategic nature of the partnership and the necessity of bringing the bilateral relations to a higher level.
They also emphasized the necessity of regular political consultations between foreign ministries of Turkmenistan and China in order to further improve and expand the dialogue on a mutually beneficial basis.
China is the largest foreign trade partner of Turkmenistan. Beijing hopes to increase the annual gas purchases from Turkmenistan to 65 billion cubic meters.

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

China, Iran agree to enhance cooperation in various domains

Jan 23, 2016
Hassan Rouhani and Xi Jinping made the comments following a meeting in the Iranian capital Tehran. The Iranian president said Tehran and Beijing also discussed regional and international issues like terrorism and the war on terror. Rouhani hailed Xi’s visit to Iran as a historic trip which marks the opening of a new chapter of bilateral ties. The Chinese leader said Beijing and Tehran should reinforce their cooperation in international bodies like the United Nations and Shanghai Cooperation Organization. He added that the two nations can greatly contribute to global peace. It’s the first official visit in 14 years by a Chinese head of state to Iran. China has been Iran’s top trade partner for six years in a row, with bilateral trade hitting a record of 52 billion dollars in 2014.

First Chinese train arrives in Tehran as part of New Silk Road Initiative

Feb 15, 2016
The first regular container train travelling from China to Iran arrived in Tehran on Monday, completing its 17-day inaugural journey as part of China's New Silk Road Initiative. SOT, Sadaf Sabaghian, commercial director of PTV Company (English): "This route is comparative and compatible with regard to sea transportation. Sea transportation usually takes minimum 25 to 30 days up to Bandar Abbas, another seven days from Bandar Abbas to Tehran while it is only coming in 14 days by railway and the cost is also effective in comparison with air cargo transporation."

The Debate - Iran-China ties

Jan 23, 2016
The strategic relationship of Iran and China takes on special significance as the duo are looking at cooperating in many fields, from nuclear energy to a project revitalizing the Old Silk Road . This as China which already imports 500 bpd is expected to increase its oil imports from Tehran, where it is already the leading importer of Iranian crude. Stay with us as we take a look at the significance of these renewed and improved ties.


Lebanon's party leader asserts Chinese sovereignty on South China Sea islands

Xinhua | 2016-06-23

by Salah Takieddine

BEIRUT, June 22 (Xinhua) -- China's sovereignty over the islands in the South China Sea is indisputable as it complies with thousands of years' history and international law, Vice Chairman of Lebanon's Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) Dureid Yaghi asserted on Wednesday.
In an interview with Xinhua, Yaghi denounced the act of taking the South China Sea dispute to the international arbitration tribunal.
"There is a regional agreement among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries to solve all disputes through peaceful means among all concerned parties," Yaghi said.
"If an ASEAN country resorts to arbitration, it is violating the basis of the agreements and international law, and violates essentially the legal sovereignty of China over the islands," the PSP official stressed.
"China called for dialogue and is refusing any dispute as it considers dialogue as the basis of the agreement among the ASEAN," Yaghi said.

READ MORE...

Xi's state visit upgrades China-Uzbekistan relations

Xinhua | 2016-06-23

by Xinhua writers Yang Yijun, Luo Jun, Li Jianmin  T

In a two-day state visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping, China and Uzbekistan, two important nations along the ancient Silk Road, agreed to upgrade their bilateral relationship to a "comprehensive strategic partnership," vowing to deepen ties in various fields. 
LIFTING RELATIONS 
Following three-hour-long talks in Tashkent on Wednesday, Xi and his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, signed a joint statement to elevate China-Uzbekistan relations to a "comprehensive strategic partnership."  The upgrade was based on the "unprecedented high standard of China-Uzbekistan high-level interaction, political mutual trust and win-win cooperation" they have scored since establishing a strategic partnership in 2012, said the document.  In the joint statement, both sides outlined the cooperation plan for their new partnership in such areas as political mutual trust and support, the China-proposed Silk Road Economic Belt initiative, national and regional security, cultural and people-to-people exchanges, and collaboration on international affairs.  "The upgrade set a new significant milestone in China-Uzbekistan relations," Chinese Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai told a press briefing later Wednesday, noting it "opened a new page in the history of bilateral ties."

READ MORE....

China-Israel Relations: Israeli President Shimon Peres arrives in Beijing



Israeli President Shimon Peres met with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Tuesday 8th of April in Beijing where he was welcomed in a ceremony where he and Xi inspected honour guards, before holding bilateral talks with both Chinese and Israeli delegations present. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited China in May of last year to meet with top leaders where Xi had urged Netanyahu to restart peace talks with the Palestinians as soon as possible, just days after Xi met with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.


President Peres and the Foreign Minister of China, Mr. Wang Yi joint statements  
The President of the State of Israel, Shimon Peres, and the Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China, Mr. Wang Yi, met today at the President's Residence in Jerusalem and delivered joint statements to the press. During the meeting they discussed the Iranian nuclear threat, the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians and the strengthening of strategic relations between Israel and China. President Peres began the statements by welcoming his guest and said, "It is a pleasure and a privilege to have you here in Jerusalem. I thank you for the productive exchange we just had. Your visit here today represents the growing and strengthening relations between our two countries."

Long Live China-Israel Friendship

In March 1938, Germany annexed Austria (the Anschluss). As a result, about 180,000 Jews in Austria were faced with imminent Nazi persecution, and the only way to survive was to leave the country. It was very difficult for a Jew to get a visa from any of the consulates in Vienna. Dr. Ho Feng Shan rejected this anti-Semitism and decided to issue numerous visas to the Jews seeking to escape Austria after the Anschluss. With his help, thousands of Jewish refugees managed to flee Austria for safe haven in Shanghai.

Israeli and Chinese leaders sign Sino-Israeli accord - Israel and China enter talks over establishing free-trade zone

Israeli and Chinese leaders sign Sino-Israeli accord
 
Israel and China enter talks over establishing free-trade zone

Israel, China announce bilateral free trade talks

By NIV ELIS, HERB KEINON, GREER FAY CASHMAN

THE JERUSALEM POST \ 03/29/2016

Israel and China agreed on Tuesday to begin negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Chinese Vice Premier Liu Yandong announced in a joint press conference in Jerusalem. A free-trade agreement with the world’s second-largest economy could have major implications for Israeli industry with the government estimating it could double trade between the two nations from today’s roughly $9 billion, boost technological cooperation and open the path for more investments. “I was delighted to hear today from Vice Premier Liu that China is prepared to begin free-trade agreement negotiations with Israel. This is a momentous development and we are ready to do so right away,” Netanyahu said, specifying that healthcare, remote education, agriculture, marine agriculture and IT are fields ripe for development.

READ MORE....

China, Uzbekistan lift ties to comprehensive strategic partnership

CCTV.com  06-22-2016

China and Uzbekistan have elevated ties to a comprehensive strategic partnership after talks between Chinese president Xi Jinping and his Uzbek counterpart, Islam Karimov, in Tashkent. Both leaders also agreed to jointly promote the Belt and Road Initiative. They said both countries should connect development strategies and expand cooperation in production capacity, infrastructure construction, energy and agriculture. China and Uzbekistan vowed to combat terrorism, separatism and extremism, and to support each other in territorial and security issues. Both leaders also agreed to boost the development of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization mechanism. They also witnessed the signing of various cooperative agreements.

READ MORE....

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

China’s Greatest Weapon: Chinese Consumers

The case of Lancôme and the politicization of China’s vast market. 

By Kerry Brown

THE DIPLOMAT - June 13, 2016

If Denise Ho wasn’t a high profile figure beyond the fans of Cantopop outside of Hong Kong before, the claimed antics of one of the companies that sponsors events she is associated with over the last few weeks have ensured that she now has global profile. French cosmetics giant Lancôme reportedly scrapped a promotional event at which she was due to sing in the city this month due to her clearly stated support for both the Occupy Central movement of two years ago, and a meeting she held with the Dalai Lama.
Politicians and celebrities (when the latter are not trying to morph into the former) always have a tetchy relationship with each other. In the halcyon days of British New Labour two decades ago, the then-Prime Minister Tony Blair, capitalizing on his photogenic youth and popularity, got involved with an ill-advised “Cool Britannia” fad. A number of receptions  which pitched image-obsessed leaders against unruly, often ungrateful and unpredictable pop stars and actresses followed,  culminating however in the iconic scene of the then-deputy prime minister, John Prescott, having a bowl of ice water dumped over his head by one of the over-exuberant “golden youth” singers he was trying to court. After that point, the two groups happily retreated to their own realms – the politicians largely did the politics, and celebrities got on with creating and entertaining. Modern societies, after all, should have plenty of space for both groups.

READ MORE....

Thriving economic relations between China and Uzbekistan

CCTV.com  06-22-2016

Relations between China and Uzbekistan are developing in a sustainable way. Fruitful results have also been achieved in bilateral economic cooperation.  The Belt and Road Initiative drove the two countries to achieve consensus on many major cooperation projects. For example, the China Railway Tunnel Group completed construction of the longest railway tunnel in Central Asia - the 19.2-km Qamchiq Tunnel - earlier this year. This project is expected to inject fresh impetus into local economic development.  At the same time, other projects such as the China-Central Asia gas pipeline and the China Industrial Park covering the energy, transport, chemical and high-tech sectors are going well.  According to the Chinese Ambassador to Uzbekistan, there are currently over 600 Chinese enterprises operating in various fields in Uzbekistan, including energy, telecommunications, infrastructure construction and textiles. China is now Uzbekistan's second largest trade partner. Investment by these Chinese enterprises has created jobs and helped drive local economic development.

READ MORE....

Can China Really Save Central Asian Economies?

Beijing may not, after all, provide the economic deus ex machina Central Asian governments have hoped for.

By Casey Michel

THE DIPLOMAT - February 13, 2016

Ever since the Eurasian recession began in earnest — or, predating that, when it was clear that Russia’s economic engine would stall under Vladimir Putin’s third term — there has nonetheless been a source of hope for Central Asia’s economies: China. On the backs of China’s One Belt, One Road (OBOR) platform, Beijing has stepped in to provide Central Asian economies with the necessary trade, transport, and internal investment to offset a reeling Russia and sinking hydrocarbon prices. For the past few years, China has stood as the region’s economic trump card — a rising Chinese tide would, as the regional governments assumed, raise their fortunes as well.
Despite China’s recent economic troubles, there was little outward sign that this prognostication would change anytime soon. The OBOR’s schematics proceeded as planned, and the recent rail transit from China to Iran further illustrated the potential integration Beijing can provide.

READ MORE.....

What Does It Mean for Uzbekistan and China to be Strategic Partners?

Wednesday, 13 November 2013 

By Farkhod Tolipov 

13/11/2013 issue of the CACI Analyst 

New Chinese leader Xi Jinping visited Uzbekistan during his tour to Central Asia in September this year. The visit took place ahead of the September summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in Bishkek, and was initially perceived as an ordinary diplomatic good-will gesture towards the Central Asian states in connection with Jinping’s first SCO summit. However, in the aftermath of that tour, China surprised many observers with its strategic bounty: China signed large contracts and agreements with the states of the region. Was this primarily a strategic breakthrough of China or the Central Asians’?  

BACKGROUND: China established diplomatic relations with Uzbekistan and other Central Asian countries in 1992. Since then, China has steadily expanded its “Go West” policy aimed at consolidating its presence in Central Asia. The record of Uzbekistan-China relations illustrates an ambitious and comprehensive Chinese plan for engaging neighboring countries to its west. Relationships between these states have unavoidably affected the overall geopolitical transformation of the region since the demise of the Soviet superpower.  This record reflects China’s rising profile in Uzbekistan’s international and regional policy and vice versa. During Uzbekistan’s President Islam Karimov’s official visit to China in June 2012, the two states signed a Declaration on Strategic Partnership, thereby elevating their relations. In October 2011 in Beijing, Uzbekistan and China had established an intergovernmental committee on cooperation in the trade-economic, investment, security, cultural-humanitarian, energy, transport, and scientific-technical spheres.

READ MORE....

Uzbekistan: a key strategic partner for China

By Tim Collard  

China.org.cn, June 22, 2016

On President Xi Jinping's current tour of the western-central sector of the proposed New Silk Road, he has decided not only to make bilateral visits to Serbia and Poland, but also to the Central Asian state of Uzbekistan. President Xi will, of course, be attending the annual summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent; but his decision to precede the summit with a full-dress bilateral visit sends a signal that China attaches particular importance to relations with Uzbekistan, a staunchly supportive partner of China throughout the quarter-century of the country's existence. Since Uzbekistan's independence, relations with China have steadily grown. In order to prevent the emergence of a dangerous vacuum in the Central Asian region following the break-up of the Soviet Union, China has made every effort to engage the new countries to her immediate west. Since then, both countries have assumed a rising significance in each other's regional and international objectives. A Declaration of Strategic Partnership was signed in June 2012, and a permanent intergovernmental commission has been put in place to discuss the practical details of the cooperation program.
READ MORE....

China and Uzbekistan Relations Traced Back to Thousands of Years

2016-06-21   CRIENGLISH.com 

As part of his visit to Uzbekistan, Chinese President Xi Jinping is due to tour the city of Bukhara, an important stop on the ancient Silk Road.
Reminders of China's historical contact with central Asia can still be seen in Bukhara.
Situated in southwestern Uzbekistan, Bukhara has been inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List. The organization describes Bukhara as the "most complete example of a medieval city in Central Asia."
Human activities in the region can be traced back some 4-thousand years.
However, Bukhara native and historian Robert Almeev says its Chinese historical records provide crucial details to understanding the region's development.
" This region was not named Bukhara until 5th Century BC. Bukhara refers to not just the city, but also the entire region. After the Arab conquest, large amounts of historical records were destroyed. So to understand this region's history, we have largely relied on ancient Chinese texts, such as those from China's Han, Tang and Wei Dynasties. These records have played an integral role in helping us to understand the history of this region, and even that of our country. "

READ MORE.....

Chinese lessons compulsory in Uzbek high schools

Han Peng

CCTV.com  06-22-2016 

Chinese language has become a compulsory course in a rising number of high schools in Uzbekistan. Learners were few a decade ago, but numbers have increased quickly in recent years, particularly after Chinese President Xi Jinping raised the initiative of building the Silk Road Economic Belt in 2013.  Writing in Chinese is tough enough for most foreigners. But these Uzbek students go one step further to learn Chinese calligraphy, an art even Chinese students can hardly master. And they are learning the oracle bone script, a form of writing that dates back three millennia.  The class is held as an extracurricular activity on weekends. The teacher says he is not expecting the students to become professional calligraphers or linguistics experts. The learning is all in the name of fun.

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President Xi visits historical city Bukhara

Wang Tongxuan

CCTV.com  06-22-2016

BUKHARA, June 21, 2016 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping (C,front) and his wife Peng Liyuan visit a carpet and silk workshop in the old city of Bukhara as accompanied by Uzbek Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoev, in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, June 21, 2016. (Xinhua/Lan Hongguang)  Bukhara has long served as a center of trade, scholarship, culture and religion, and has over 2500 years of history.  It's also where President Xi's state visit to Uzbekistan began.  The city is renowned for its ancient fortress, known as The Ark of Bukhara. The massive walls of the ark protect many treasures, including old copies of the Holy Quran, art, and ancient coins and weaponry.  President Xi and Peng Liyuan also visited the Samanid mausoleum, in the historical urban part of the city.  The mausoleum was built in the 10th century, and is the resting place of Ismail Samani- a powerful amir from one of the Persian dynasties that ruled in Central Asia.  Their next stop was the Islamic religious complex of Poi Kalyan, meaning "The Foot of the Great".  At the heart of the ancient complex is  the Kalyan minaret. It's also home to the Kalyan Mosque and the Mir-i Arab Madrasa, a historic religious school.  Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan then went to a carpet and silk workshop, where Xi asked the textile workers about the materials and art of the buildings, local customs, and the historical culture of Bukhara.  Xi Jinping described Bukhara as a shining pearl lying on the ancient Silk Road. He said the tour gave him a deeper understanding of the historical roots between China and Uzbekistan.  The president added that it is beneficial for both sides to carry forward the spirit of the Silk Road and promote the friendship between the two peoples.

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China Video President Xi to visit Uzbekistan

CCTV.com  06-21-2016

Chinese President Xi Jinping will visit Uzbekistan and attend the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tashkent. Ahead of the visit, CCTV interviewed Sun Lijie, the Chinese ambassador to Uzbekistan.  He said that since the establishment of a strategic partnership in 2012, both countries have enjoyed strenghtened bilateral ties, and excellent cooperation in various fields.  Sun said,"Once the initiative was brought up, it won the support of President Karimov. He thinks the initiative is of deep strategic meaning - for developing ties between China and Central Asian countries, and for promoting Central Asia's economic development."  "It's of great significance. We are looking forward, that during the visit, President Xi and President Karimov will jointly announce to lift bilateral ties to a new level, providing new momentum, new opportunities, new fields of cooperation."  "During the SCO summit, memorandums on India and Pakistan will be signed. This signals that the SCO is starting to take new members gradually, based on a consensus. This is a sign that the organization is gaining more influence, and an entry into a new development stage."

WATCH THE VIDEO.....

Interview: China-Uzbekistan ties continue to thrive, cooperation fruitful: Chinese ambassador

Xinhua| 2016-06-19 

TASHKENT, June 19 (Xinhua) -- Relations between China and Uzbekistan have kept developing in a sustainable and deep-going way while fruitful results have been achieved in bilateral cooperation in all fields over recent years, Chinese Ambassador to Uzbekistan Sun Lijie has said.
The Chinese and Uzbek peoples, as good friends, good partners and good brothers on the Silk Road, have jointly created a glorious history of the Silk Road, Sun said in a recent interview with Xinhua prior to Chinese President Xi Jinping's state visit to Uzbekistan on June 21-24.
Today, the two countries continue to jointly push forward economic exchange and mutual reference in civilizations between the East and the West and promote common development of mankind, with pragmatic cooperation as a basis, with cultural cooperation as a bond, and with joint construction of the Silk Road Economic Belt as an opportunity, he said.
During Xi's upcoming visit to Uzbekistan, the leaders of the two countries will have in-depth discussions on further development of China-Uzbekistan relations and cooperation, Sun said.

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Dynamics of Uzbek-Chinese relations By Mirzokhid Rakhimov

China.org.cn - June 21, 2016

In June 2016 Xi is paying a state visit to Uzbekistan and will attend the 16th meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) in the Uzbek capital of Tashkent. In 2012, China and Uzbekistan signed a declaration on strategic partnership. In the following year, Islam Karimov and Xi Jinping agreed to develop and deepen a new agreement on friendship and partnership and a joint declaration was signed during President Xi's first visit to Tashkent in 2013.  China is the leading trade partner of Central Asia, and the dynamics of China-Uzbek trade turnover grow constantly; thus, in 2007, turnover of commodities was US$904 million, and by 2015 it had reached more than US$4.1 billion. In September 2013, during Chinese President Xi's official visit to Uzbekistan more than 30 documents were signed for joint implementation projects with a total value of US$15 billion. In August 2014, during an official visit by the President of Uzbekistan Islam Karimov to China, numerous economic and financial agreements were signed, valuing more than US$6.2 billion. Karimov and Xi also signed a strategy partnership development program for 2014-2018.

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Can the Chinese save Israel's tourism industry?

Yuval Avivi

AL-MONITOR - JUNE 13, 2016

From his office in Jerusalem, Uri Taub is "dealing with half of humanity," as he describes it in a conversation with Al-Monitor. As director of the Asia and Pacific Marketing Desk at the Tourism Office Marketing Administration, he is in charge of Asia and countries where there is no Israeli diplomatic representation. He's responsible for marketing Israel to countries such as India (1.25 billion potential clients) or China (1.36 billion potential clients).
China is considered the holy grail of international tourism. The middle class there is flourishing, and as it gets financially stronger, it adopts Western tourism habits. “The number of Chinese tourists worldwide has grown from just a few million individuals to about 120 million in 2015,” said Taub. Obviously, Israel wants a slice of that pie. It has been trying for years to increase the number of Chinese tourists visiting the country. Current Tourism Minister Yariv Levin said back in 2015 that “almost nothing was done” about the issue in the years before he took office.

READ MORE....

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Fifth Global International Studies Conference: 1-3 April, 2017 | National Taiwan University

Fifth Global International Studies Conference: 1-3 April, 2017 | National Taiwan University

Dialogue Across Borders in Turbulent Times: Addressing Global Challenges

http://www.wisc2017.org/

http://www.wisc2017.org/call-for-papers/

15 April 2016: Deadline for submissions of sections
1 July 2016 :  Deadline for submissions of panels, roundtables, and papers
31 July 2016 : Deadline for Research Workshop Proposals
The theme of the conference highlights the dynamics that contribute to the turbulent times actors are facing today globally and the need to create spaces for dialogue across borders to tackle them. To satisfy this demand, we particularly welcome papers that engage with some of the following global challenges: global economic slowdown and increasing socio-political inequalities; migration and social unrest; or concurrent types of security (from regional level including China and its neighbors, North Korea, Japan, and the disputes in the Pacific to global level including ISIS).  We welcome papers that tackle these issues as well as others at the global, regional, or local levels to help us understand, explain, or describe their underlying causes and various mechanisms built to deal with them.

Panel and paper proposals can be submitted to any one of the sections listed below:

Section ID number/Title
Chair/Contact information
S01 China’s regional interests

Central Asia, China, Shanghai Cooperation Organization

China and Latin American relations

(for China and South Asia/Central Asia)

Gusev, Dr. Leonid
Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Russian Federation
lgoussev@yandex.ru

and

(for China and Latin America)

Soliz de Stange, Ana
GIGA German Institute of Global and Area Studies, Germany
ana.soliz@giga-hamburg.de

S02 Hybrid Warfare – What Next?

International security, hybrid war, hybrid threats, war, strategy

Raitasalo, Dr. Jyri
Finnish National Defence University, Finland
jyri.raitasalo@mil.fi
S16 Theorizing historical change in International Relations

Historical and sociological approaches to study world politics Historical IR, Change, Social Evolution

Albert, Mathias
Bielefeld University, Germany
mathias.albert@uni-bielefeld.de
S23 Chinese and Japanese geopolitical strategy in East Asia

International Relations in (South) East Asia, strategy, China, One Belt and One Road, PLA modernization, Japan, TPP

沛璇, 吳
中正大學, Taiwan, Republic of China
flowerpower73a@gmail.com
S34 Theories, debates and practices at the intersection of peace and security studies

Regional cooperation mechanisms (e.g. ASEAN), The nexus of regional/international/local, Human rights and international norms, international security, peace, norms, case-studies

Freire, Prof. Maria Raquel
CES | FEUC, University of Coimbra, Portugal
rfreire@fe.uc.pt
S42 Problematizing Global Challenges: Recalibrating the „inter“ in IR Theory

The nexus of regional/international/local, Turmoil in the Middle East and its spillover effects, The Possibilities of a Global IR, International Relations in (South) East Asia, Historical and sociological approaches to study world politics

Section chair:

Roesch, Dr. Felix
Coventry University, United Kingdom
ab3522@coventry.ac.uk

S43 Global IR in Asia

The Possibilities of a Global in Asia, Global IR, Chinese IR, Balance of Relationship, Non-Western IR

Yuan, Prof. I
National Chengchi University, Taiwan, Republic of China
yyuan@nccu.edu.tw
S46 Resurgence of China: A Historical and Comparative Perspective

Resurgence of China, world order, historical and comparative perspectives on world order

Section chair:

Wu, Prof. Yu-Shan
National taiwan university, Taiwan, Republic of China
yushanwu@gate.sinica.edu.tw

S48 South China Sea Session

South China Sea, Spratly Islands, UNCLOS, Non-traditional security, sea lane of communication

Wang, Prof. Kuan-Hsiung
National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan, Republic of China
khwang@ntnu.edu.tw
S 49 U.S.-China-Taiwan Relations

U.S.-China relations, U.S.-Taiwan relations, US-China-Taiwan relations, cross-Strait relations, U.S.-led Asian policy

Chen, Prof. I-hsin
Tamkang University, Taiwan, Republic of China
chened8852@yahoo.com.tw
S45 Taiwan and the World

Taiwan and regional situation.

Wang, Prof. Kao-Cheng
Tamkang University, Taiwan, Republic of China
kcwang@mail.tku.edu.tw


S50 Human Security and Peace: Different Regions, Multiple Dimensions, and Plural Methods

Human Security, Negative Peace, Positive Peace, Peacebuilding, Conflict

Tang, Prof. Chih-Mao
Soochow University, Taiwan, Republic of China
cmt@scu.edu.tw
S51 Europe and Asia as Regional International Societies

Regional cooperation mechanisms (e.g. ASEAN), The nexus of regional/international/local, regionalism, international society, English School, solidarism

Thomas Diez
University of Tübingen
thomas.diez@uni-tuebingen.de
S52 Quantitative Research Methods and East Asian International Relations Theories

International Relations in (South) East Asia, studying peace and conflict using large-n data

Chang, Prof. Wen-Yang
National Chengchi University, Taiwan, Republic of China
wychang@nccu.edu.tw
S53 Governance of Global Economy: Trade and FinanceRegional cooperation mechanisms (e.g. ASEAN), The nexus of regional/international/local, International Relations in (South) East Asia, Other, global economic governance, global financial governance, global trade governance, WTO, TPP
Jędrzejowska, Dr. Karina Joanna
University of Warsaw, Poland
k.jedrzejowska@uw.edu.pl
S54 Histories and Sociologies of IR and the Postcolonial Challenge

The geographies and imaginations of the postcolonial challenge, the politics of translating, how to write histories and sociologies of IR from a postcolonial perspective, how is disciplinary knowledge constructed, how can interdisciplinarity be conceptualized, how does the postcolonial perspective enable/disable the rethinking of theories and concepts considered central to critical IR such as emancipation, cosmopolitanism, in/security and violence.

Capan, Dr. Zeynep Gulsah
Bilkent University, Turkey
zgulsah@gmail.com
S56 Dialogue across Borders in Turbulent Times: Addressing Global Challenges

How International Relations are studied, published and taught, as well as discussions about theory and approaches that may include discussions on the epistemology, methodology and ontology of the discipline.

De Alba-Ulloa, Dr. Jessica
Universidad Anáhuac México, Mexico
jessica.dealba@anahuac.mx
S17 Exploring Global South Contributions in International Relations

Present IR pedagogy, its curriculum in the Global South, and how it compares, differs and relates to Global North’s IR overall pedagogy; explore publishing experiences and/or difficulties of Global South IR scholars in leading English-IR publishing houses and journals; analyze contributions of Post-Colonial IR scholarship in the contemporary period; and; discuss theorizing efforts of Global South IR scholars in contemplating about the ‘international’.

Adiong, Dr. Nassef Manabilang
Philippine International Studies Organization (PhISO), Philippines
info@nassef-m-adiong.com
S57 Realist Visions of World Order and Foreign Policy in Times of Global Power Shifts

Realism, neoclassical realism, foreign and security policy, Eurasia, South East Asia.

Reichwein, Dr. Alex
Justus Liebig University Gießen, Germany
alexander.reichwein@sowi.uni-giessen.de
S79 Africa and World Politics

What are potential African contributions to a Gobal IR? Can African history, norms, values and institutions provide alternative pathways for a more inclusive expansion towards a global community?  Can African understandings of security or community and its recent regionalism efforts offer new insights beyond the African Continent? Offer African (colonial) experiences and (traditional and post-colonial) politics new insights for a more comprehensive understanding of world politics?

Roesch, Dr. Felix
Coventry University, United Kingdom
ab3522@coventry.ac.uk
S20 The regional and global implications of the Arab Spring and crises in the Middle East

The impact of the Syrian civil war on its neighbours, Refugee crisis in the EU and elsewhere, the consequences of violent versus non-violent change, establishing the link between social movements and international relations scholarship

Section chair TBA, contact:

Esra Cuhadar
Bilkent University
esracg@bilkent.edu.tr

S87 The European Union and Asia: Bilateral and Inter-regional Relations

European Union, regionalism, free trade, and foreign policy

Section chair TBA, contact

Dominguez, Dr. Roberto
Suffolk University, United States of America
robdomri@yahoo.com

S86 Climate Change, Energy and Environment After Paris

Governance, environment, energy, common goods, carbon trading systems

Dominguez, Dr. Roberto
Suffolk University, United States of America
robdomri@yahoo.com
S85 Pivots of Security Governance in a Polycentric World

Security, governance, emerging powers, stability and regionalism

Dominguez, Dr. Roberto
Suffolk University, United States of America
robdomri@yahoo.com
Proposals for sections:

We invite participants to submit section proposals. A section may consist of between five and ten panel sessions during the conference. While the section proposals may address the conference themes, proposals for sections in other themes are also welcome. A section chair can upload section proposals to the registration system here. A section chair is responsible for proposing a section around a theme; identifying preliminary panels at the proposal stage; composing the rest of the section’s programme, by selecting papers that were proposed in response to the call for papers; identifying panel chairs and discussants; and taking overall responsibility for the actual implementation of their section in the conference programme.

Proposals for panels, roundtables and papers:

We invite participants to propose papers, panels or roundtables by registering as a user and uploading the respective proposals to the conference registration system accessible here. A panel consists of four or five papers (minimum/maximum), one or two discussants and a chairperson. Linked panels on a common theme can also be proposed and should be marked accordingly. Up to four panels can be linked in this fashion. A roundtable consists of up to 8 participants and a chairperson. Each panel and roundtable lasts for 105 minutes. Paper-givers will have approximately 12 minutes for their presentation, as will the discussant(s). Chairpersons of both panels and roundtables should leave approximately 30 minutes for discussion from the audience.

Papers will be given in English and will have to be uploaded on the conference registration system. Powerpoint presentation is possible. A paper will be allocated by the Programme Committee to an appropriate panel, tabled, or rejected. A tabled paper is an official contribution to the Conference but one that will not be discussed in a panel due to the exigencies of time, space or topic. Panel proposals should include an international element among its participants or the Programme Committee may exercise its prerogative to include such an element. It is expected that paper givers will circulate their papers to all other participants on their panel in a timely fashion.

The Conference is open to all members of any WISC member organization and to others with similar interests in the scholarly and practical aspects of international studies. The Programme Committee reserves the right to refuse permission to participate. Decisions of the Programme Committee are final.

15 April 2016: Deadline for submissions of sections
1 July 2016 : Deadline for submissions of panels, roundtables, and papers
31 July 2016 : Deadline for Research Workshop Proposals
1 October 2016: Latest date for communicating acceptance / rejection decisions
1-3 April 2017: 5th Global International Studies Conference, Taipei