September 24, 2012 • 8:23 am 0

Questioning attitude pivotal: giving Chinese think tanks valuable answers [China Daily Europe]

China Daily: A glimpse into the thinkers and acquirers of the complex vein of Chinese data.

More on the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (now 31 research units strong, run directly by the State Council and established in 1977) here.

Recently, Fan Jida, an associate professor at CAG, surveyed 210 officials at director-general level to identify the top 10 key economic issues facing the 18th National Congress of the CPC. More than 70 percent pointed to the real estate sector, while 69 percent said food safety should be improved. Small and medium-sized enterprises drew the least attention – just 11 percent.

“China has about 50,000 officials at this level and we surveyed 210 for one questionnaire. Who else could invite so many top leaders to give their views at the same time?” said Fan. In this way, Fan and his fellow researchers are able to gauge which topics are the most important.

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Questioning attitude gives think tanks valuable answers
By Hu Yongqi
Source – China Daily, published September 20, 2012

Institutions play a vital role in getting data, reports Hu Yongqi.

In the main building of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in downtown Beijing, Xu Jin and his colleagues were preparing to move to a new office. Everything was packed, except for a mountain of questionnaire papers and publications.

“The cities and the rural areas are different, and the interior is different from the coastal areas. So we have to go to these places to investigate the characteristics of the local workforce. It’s the only way to acquire precise data.”
Xu Jin, deputy director of the Institute of Population and Labor Economics
Source – China Daily, 2012

In the past two months, researchers have collected 4,000 copies of a questionnaire about the workforce in Shanghai and the provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu. The papers were safely locked up in a meeting room, along with some other publications, to ensure they weren’t lost in the move that had brought chaos to the offices. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Communications, Danwei, Domestic Growth, Economics, Education, Environment, Finance, Government & Policy, Media, Modernisation, New Leadership, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Research, Resources, Science, Social, Strategy, China's Rise, Media, Science, Statistics, Strategy

November 4, 2011 • 12:17 am 0

China accomplishes first space docking [Xinhua]

The politics of space has a new permanent human presence. China joins the US and Russia as the only countries to accomplish space docking after the Shenzhou VIII spacecraft docked with the Tiangong-1 experimental module 343km in orbit. Check out the CCTV annoucement below.

- – -

China accomplishes first space docking
Source – Xinhua, published November 3, 2011

: A video grab taken from the China Central Television on Nov.3, 2011 shows the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft docking with the Tiangong-1 space lab module. Unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 docked with space lab module Tiangong-1 early Thursday, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. Photo – Xinhua

BEIJING, Nov. 3 (Xinhua) — Two Chinese spacecraft accomplished the country’s first space docking procedure early Thursday, silently coupling in space more than 343 km above Earth’s surface.

Nearly two days after it was launched, the unmanned spacecraft Shenzhou-8 docked with space lab module Tiangong-1 at 1:36 a.m., marking another great leap for China’s space program.

The success of the docking procedure makes China the third country in the world, after the United States and Russia, to master the technique, moving the country one step closer to establishing its own space station. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Environment, Influence, International Relations, Modernisation, Nationalism, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Research, Science, Soft Power, space, Strategy, Technology, Territorial Disputes, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, Transport, xinhua

October 21, 2011 • 4:43 am 0

Greetings Overseas Chinese friends, have you got time for a survey?

Greetings friends,

I am seeking the inputs of Overseas Chinese to identify key Chinese imagery (icons, symbols, texts) Chinese diaspora of all age groups and ancestries, from all parts of the world, connect with.

It should take about ten minutes to complete.

Your time and valuable inputs are most appreciated. The findings from this survey will go toward an ‘edutainment’ video I am working on the contemporary Overseas Chinese imagination of China. Thank you also for spreading the word!

If you would like to keep updated on the progress of the video, please leave your contact email address and we’ll be in touch!

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SXP5KX7

Filed under: Bob's Opinion, Research, Research Question.

September 21, 2011 • 1:19 am 0

China to Launch Space Station Test Module Next Week [Space]

Ponder: it looks like Tiangong’s (see Pausing for Tiangong, Space Daily August 19, 2011) not too far away.

A time to reflect beyond the state and terrestrial territory – the time for the politics of space has arrived with three nations having the ability to send people into orbit. Future extraterrestrial disputes to come?

- – -

China to Launch Space Station Test Module Next Week
by Clara Moskowitz, SPACE.com Senior Writer
Source – Space, published 20 September 2011

China is developing its first full-fledged space station, called Tiangong (Heavenly Palace). Early tests of China’s skills at rendezvous and docking, shown in this artist's illustration, are set to begin in 2011. CREDIT: China Manned Space Engineering Office

China will launch a test module for its first space station next week between Sept. 27 and Sept. 30, state media reported today (Sept. 20).

The unmanned module, called Tiangong-1 (which means “Heavenly Palace”) will test autonomous docking procedures and other space operations in preparation for China’s plan to build a 60-ton space station by the year 2020.

The Chinese Long March 2F rocket set to launch Tiangong-1 has already been rolled out to its launch platform at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwest China’s Gansu Province, according to state-run news service Xinhua. [Photos: China's First Space Station] Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Chinese Model, Communications, Domestic Growth, Education, Greater China, Infrastructure, International Relations, Mapping Feelings, military, Nationalism, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Research, Soft Power, space, Strategy, Technology, Territorial Disputes, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities, Transport

August 19, 2011 • 7:21 am 0

Pausing for Tiangong [Space Daily]

Will the launch failure affect the upcoming flight of the Long March 2C satellite affect Tiangong 1, China’s first space laboratory? Tiangong (literally “heavenly palace”) is a planned crewed space station with origins from 1992 as Project 921-2. The political message of the Tiangong project has been broached by the BBC. How will the world make sense of this recent failure?

For more, see China unveils rival to International Space Station (Guardian, April 26, 2011)
Less than a decade ago, it fired its first human being into orbit. Now, Beijing is working on a multi-capsule outpost in space. But what is the political message of the Tiangong ‘heavenly palace’?

- – -

Pausing for Tiangong
by Morris Jones | Sydney, Australia (SPX)
Source – Space Daily, published Aug 19, 2011

: Illustration of the Tiangong mission. Photo – Space Daily

The recent failure of a Long March 2C satellite launch will certainly displease China’s spaceflight community. It raises another interesting question. Will the launch failure affect the upcoming flight of Tiangong 1, China’s first space laboratory?

There are reasons to suggest that China could simply forge ahead with the launch, which is expected by the end of the month. Launch failures happen to everyone from time to time. The gremlins that plague one rocket don’t necessarily jump to others.

Some of these failures are caused by random problems that don’t repeat consistently, ranging from faulty parts to badly implemented procedures. Right now, we can expect that Chinese engineers are examining the potential causes of this recent failure, but it will probably take some time before they can reach any firm conclusions. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Charm Offensive, Communications, Domestic Growth, Education, Greater China, Influence, Infrastructure, International Relations, Mapping Feelings, Media, Nationalism, Politics, Public Diplomacy, Research, space, Strategy, Technology, The Chinese Identity, The construction of Chinese and Non-Chinese identities

July 27, 2011 • 1:24 am 1

Race to the bottom: Chinese sub dives 5000 metres [AFP/The Age]

“If a craft like this improves China’s ability to collect oceanographic data, that’s going to improve its submarine capability and I suspect that will be seen as troubling by the United States in particular,” Mr Medcalf said, adding that China could use the data to better hide submarines that can launch nuclear weapons.

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Race to the bottom: Chinese sub dives 5000 metres
AFP with Glenda Kwek
Source – The Age, published July 26, 2011

Jiaolong ... the sub that can dive to 7000 metres. Photo: China Daily

A Chinese submersible has conducted the country’s deepest manned dive ever as it seeks to exploit the vast resources of the ocean floor.

The Jiaolong undersea craft – named after a mythical sea dragon – reached 5038 metres below sea level in a test dive in “an international area” of the Pacific ocean, the official Xinhua news said, citing the State Oceanic Administration (SOA).

Chinese technical capabilities have gathered pace in recent decades, exemplified by a fast-growing space program that in 2003 made China just the third nation to conduct manned space flight. Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: AFP, Beijing Consensus, Influence, Infrastructure, International Relations, military, Modernisation, Research, Resources, Strategy, Technology, Territorial Disputes, The Age, U.S.

September 6, 2010 • 12:15 am 0

The spark rises in the east [New Statesman]

Last year, following a decade of phenomenal growth, China became the second-biggest producer of scientific knowledge in the world. In 1998, Chinese scientists published about 20,000 articles. In 2009, they produced more than 120,000. Only the US turns out more.

- – -

The spark rises in the east
Michael Brooks
Source – New Statesman, published 16 August 2010

China, driven by a desire for prestige and its own Nobel laureates, could soon lead the world in scientific research.

Science is rising in the east. China’s strategies for economic development, which are centred on creating a world-beating science base, don’t sound like much. They go by odd names: the 863 Programme and Project 211, for instance, and the Torch and Spark programmes. But they are proving to be more powerful than even the Chinese government could have hoped.

Filed under: Beijing Consensus, Chinese Model, Culture, Domestic Growth, Economics, Education, Influence, International Relations, Nationalism, New Statesman, Politics, Research

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Wandering China

China accomplishes first space docking [Xinhua]

Greetings Overseas Chinese friends, have you got time for a survey?

Greetings friends,

China to Launch Space Station Test Module Next Week [Space]

Pausing for Tiangong [Space Daily]

Race to the bottom: Chinese sub dives 5000 metres [AFP/The Age]

The spark rises in the east [New Statesman]

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