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Nº 1 (2023)

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Politics, economics

Crisis in Russian-Japanese Relations in 2022

Voda K.

Resumo

In response to Russia’s special military operation in Ukraine in 2022, Japanese government imposed large-scale sanctions that affected financial, trade, economic, energy, political and humanitarian spheres of Russian-Japanese cooperation. The negotiations on the peace treaty between Moscow and Tokyo were also suspended. Unlike in 2014, Japanese anti-Russian sanctions in 2022 caused heavy crisis in Russian-Japanese relations. The reasons of the Tokyo’s tough response included the scale of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in 2022, the harsh reaction to Russian operation of Japan’s leading international partners, including the United States, European Union, Great Britain, Australia and a number of Asia-Pacific nations, desire of Japanese leadership to warn China that its possible military actions in Taiwan Strait or around the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands in the East China Sea will meet Tokyo’s serious resistance. Another reason of severe worsening of Russian-Japanese relations in 2022 was the essential end of the rapprochement between Moscow and Tokyo in 2013–2020 with unsatisfactory results for the Japanese side. During this period, Russia and Japan could not sign a peace treaty despite the efforts of the former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe who intended to solve the long-standing territorial dispute between Russia and Japan by establishing personal ties with the Russian president Vladimir Putin and promoting economic cooperation between the two nations. This approach proved to be unpromising and was criticized in Russia and Japan. The future of the peace treaty talks between Moscow and Tokyo will depend on whether the negotiating parties are able to lower the level of political and diplomatic confrontation and adopt their claims to the new realities of the changed international environment.

Asia & Africa today. 2023;(1):5-13
pages 5-13 views

The US Policy of Sanctions and Restrictions against China. Beijing’s Tactical Countermeasures and Strategic Counteraction Potential

Vahrushin I.

Resumo

A sharp reversal of the Chinese vector of the US foreign policy inevitably came with the election of Donald Trump to the presidency in 2017, whose entire election campaign was accompanied by accentuated anti-Chinese rhetoric.Beijing’s response to the powerful pressure of the Trump administration was not the curtailment of state industrial development programs (Made in China – 2025, etc.) required by Washington, but the proclamation of a course to ensure the country’s economic security, increase the level of technological self-sufficiency, further strengthen the role of the domestic market and reduce dependence on exports. In particular, the latest provisions were included in the “double circulation” policy adopted in October 2020.By now, Washington has imposed on China, though sensitive, still limited sanctions which generally do not have a significant impact on the socio-economic development of the country. Even with the WH’s firm political will, effective sanctions potential of the US against China is significantly limited due to enormous interdependence of the two largest world economies.In general, the US sanctions of recent years against China can be divided into two large blocks: officially justified by the interests of US national security (restrictions on telecommunications companies, the ban of Chinese software, etc.) and related to accusations of human rights violations (restrictions on Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of the PRC and Hong Kong SAR). However, in some cases the real reason for the restrictions imposed is the desire of the United States to contain China in the context of general political, economic and technological rivalry of the two countries.

Asia & Africa today. 2023;(1):14-24
pages 14-24 views

Bioethical Problems of China’s Demographic Policy: Background and Present

Musalitina E., Bobyshev S.

Resumo

The article is devoted to the study of bioethical problems of China’s demographic policy. One of the main instruments of birth control in the country for 30 years was artificial termination of pregnancy – abortion. Because of this, contradiction between the political course of the state and the traditional, rooted in society, moral principles and values arises. Population policy has become a harsh method of restricting the reproductive rights and freedom of private life of the Chinese population. The current situation determines relevance and necessity of studying China’s demographic policy from the point of view of bioethics. Thus, the article discusses background for approval of the policy “One family – one child”; the implications of this policy, such as the bioethical issues of medical termination of pregnancy and selective abortion in China; transformation of the traditional institution of the family; moral and ethical status of the second child; the problem of the prohibition of surrogate motherhood; gender imbalance; increase in illegal services in the field of medical and reproductive technologies.Bioethical aspects of modern Chinese demography; socio-cultural changes in Chinese society due to a long period of birth control policies are analyzed. The reasons for the low efficiency of modern state measures to stimulate childbearing are considered.

Asia & Africa today. 2023;(1):25-33
pages 25-33 views

Israeli-Iranian Rivalry from the Perspective of Sino-Israeli and Indian-Israeli Relations

Mikaelian A.

Resumo

The article takes a look at how Israeli-Iranian rivalry affected the development of Sino-Israeli and Indian-Israeli relations. China characterizes its relations with Iran as strategic cooperation while India maintains a high level of cooperation with the Islamic Republic. What is more, Iran is one of major trade partners of China and India in the region. The author analyses the efforts Tel-Aviv took to try to influence China’s and India’s approach towards Teheran and make it more favorable for its interests. In the case of China, Israel was interested in stopping flow of Chinese weapons to Iran as well as putting an end to China’s support to Iran’s nuclear program. As for India, Israel in the 2000s was concerned that some of its military technologies supplied to India might be leaked to Iran. Given this, Israel tried to dissuade China’s and India’s from advancing ties with Teheran.

The analysis showed that Israel’s efforts turned out to be fruitless. China signed new strategic agreement with Iran in 2021 and cooperates with Iran on the military and intelligence levels. Likewise, India didn’t change its stance towards Iran due to of Israel’s efforts. Nevertheless, China’s trade relations with Iran decreased as a result of Beijing deepening ties with Arab states, namely Gulf states. This led to decline in China’s oil imports from Iran. The same process can be witnessed in Indian-Iranian relations, where imports from Iran sharply decreased as a result of Trump Administration’s anti-Iranian policy.

Asia & Africa today. 2023;(1):34-41
pages 34-41 views

Japan. Government Support Measures for Digital Transformation of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Shaposhnikov S., Sadoi Y.

Resumo

The digital transformation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) is becoming an important challenge and an aim for economic growth and development in different countries. Digital transformation enhances competitive advantage, improves business efficiency and ensures economic growth of companies worldwide. Considering that the SMEs in Japan account for over 99,7% of the total number of enterprises, the digital transformation of SMEs is becoming an important instrument for the Government of Japan to ensure economic growth of the national economy. SMEs have limited resources and capabilities and this fact creates a number of barriers to implement the digital transformation. These barriers include the limited financial resources, companies’ management, technological, digital security barriers, and others. In the case of small and medium-sized companies in Japan, most of the barriers are related to management and business culture of SMEs. Since the Japanese government has high expectations for SME productivity, competitiveness and economic contribution as drivers of economic growth and national competitiveness, in such an environment, the support of the government is becoming the basis and an essential condition for SMEs to advance along the path of digital transformation. The government support measures are aimed at training SME personnel, upgrading the skills of managers and owners, and providing consulting services to implement the digital transformation. In addition, the Government of Japan provides tax deductions for companies to implement the digital transformation, encourages companies to employ the electronic document management systems, and ensures the cybersecurity improvements for business community

Asia & Africa today. 2023;(1):42-48
pages 42-48 views

SADCC as the First Step of Regional Integration in Southern Africa

Svetlana B., Singuwa C.

Resumo

The formation of regional blocs and groupings in recent years became a stable feature of the world politics after 1945. The Conference on the Coordination of Southern African Development (SADCC) was formed in 1980 and later transformed into the Southern African Development Community (SADC), with the focus on integration of economic development. On the one hand, the main goal of the SADCC was to oppose South African apartheid, as well as to expand regional economic cooperation through effective coordination of the use of specific characteristics and strengths of each country and its resources. On the other hand, SADCC’s objectives went beyond just reducing dependency to encompass basic development and regional integration.This article reveals a brief history of the formation and evolution of SADCC as regional bloc and analyses the bilateral relations between SADCC/SADC and the Russian Federation. Methodologically, the article employed qualitative research by relying on the broad sources of data such as the United Nations official documents, and statistics of the specialized organizations. By applying a situation-structural approach to analyze and explain the development of institutionalized regional integration, the authors argue that, more than anything, the greatest success of SADCC/SADCC since its formation, was not only in creating a regional identity, but in cultivating a sense of common destiny among the member states.

Asia & Africa today. 2023;(1):49-56
pages 49-56 views

Maasai in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area: Sustainable Development and Traditionality

Butovskaya M., Butovsky R.

Resumo

The paper highlights the modern problems of sustainable development of protected areas with the living indigenous peoples on the example of the Maasai of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA) in northern Tanzania. NCA for 30 years (since 1959) has been a unique long-term experiment to maintain a stable coexistence of wild animal populations and the Maasai community practicing traditional methods of cattle breeding. Options for the development of NCA are discussed, taking into account new challenges, such as the growth of the population of Maasai people and livestock and the need to expand the area of the NCA strictly protected zone.

The interviews conducted by the authors among the young Maasai of Ngorongoro have demonstrated that this the most advanced group of young people can be characterized by the specific combination of traditional and modern trends as regards to the future life plans, access to modern technical means, attitude towards the traditions and trends on the blurring of the stereotypes of reproductive and sexual behavior including information on the self-protection against malaria and COVID. One of the acceptable solutions for the provision of the sustainable development of Ngorongoro conservation area could be the relocation of the part of the Maasai population for the decrease of the competition for resources with the wildlife and the control of the abundance of the Maasai cattle.

Asia & Africa today. 2023;(1):57-65
pages 57-65 views

Christianity in India: From the Apostle Thomas to the Present

Myazin N.

Resumo

The first Christians appeared in southwestern India during Antiquity; they belonged to Nestorianism and were fully incorporated into Indian society. The descendants of the Christian settlers and the descendants of the converts formed different castes. In the mid-16th century a Catholic diocese was established in the Portuguese possession of Goa, and most of the local Christians were converted to Catholicism. Protestantism began to spread in the early 18th century in the Danish colony of Trakenbar on the southeast coast. The East India Company did not permit missionary activity on its lands. The evangelical revival movement in the late 18th century led to the establishment of missionary societies focused on the Christianization of new lands, and they sought permission to establish missions in British possessions. Subsequently, the British administration did not provide much support for missionaries, using the confessional controversy to consolidate the power of the empire.

Preaching was most effective among tribal and Dalit peoples. Missionaryism among Dalits caused serious discontent in society and contributed to the emergence of reform movements in Hinduism. In independent India, several states enacted "anti-forced conversion" laws to limit conversions to Christianity and Islam. The rise of Hindu nationalism, which viewed Christianity as an alien religion, proved to be a deterrent to the spread of Christianity. In the second half of the 20th century new trends in Christianity developed most rapidly: Pentecostal and non-denominational Protestant churches, as well as Catholic charismatic movements.

The share of Christians in India's population has not changed much in the last 70 years. Conversions to Christianity have been offset by lower birth rates in Christian families. Christians now constitute about 2.6% of the country's population; Christianity has spread most widely in the states of the Northeast, where Christian denominations have actually been able to replace tribal religions and in Kerala, where Christianity took hold almost two thousand years ago.

Asia & Africa today. 2023;(1):66-73
pages 66-73 views

Philippines. Economic and Social Activities of a Religious Institute: The Example of the Diocese of Butuan

Balabeykina О., Kuznetsov L., Yankovskaya A.

Resumo

In the study, the authors consider the territorial and administrative structure of the Philippine’s Roman Catholic Church (RCC) and the factors of its transformation at the present stage in the context of the importance of the religious institution in the economic and social life of society. The purpose of a comprehensive study is to identify the economic, social, territorial and institutional aspects of the RCC’s activities in the Philippines and to identify the areas on which it has a significant impact. The model of relations between the RCC and the state in the Philippines is not typical for the Asia-Pacific region. This fact allows the authors stating that the experience of their implementation may be relevant for solving issues related to the formation and development of the confessional space of Russian regions, including the Far East, in social and economic aspects. For an objective characterization of the elements of the confessional space in the presented study the mathematical and statistical tools were used. By analyzing the available data published in English, the main directions of the project activities of non-profit Catholic organizations in the field of economic and social development of the country were identified. The authors reveal that the RCC actively implements activities in the field of social responsibility at the regional and local levels by allocating its own funds, labor resources, providing for the use of its buildings for religious and other purposes for organizing and holding socially significant events, in many ways contra-typing state functions. Finally, the authors conclude that the RCC in the Philippines is an influential institution that plays a significant role in various areas of the country’s economy and contains prospects for expanding the field of its activities in the mentioned direction

Asia & Africa today. 2023;(1):74-80
pages 74-80 views