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Nº 7 (2023)

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Top problem

Catching Up and Overtaking Growth of Developing Countries: Dimensions, Factors, Problems and Prospects. Part 1

Meliantsev V.

Resumo

Due to the significant success of several dozen developing countries (DCs), which have embarked on the path of export-oriented industrialization, the DCs on the whole have noticeably overtaken in recent decades the advanced economies (AEs) in terms of the average annual growth rate (AAGR) of per capita GDP (PCGDP), share in world GDP growth, global investment spending and its effectiveness and labor productivity dynamics. According to the Augmented Human Development Index (AHDI), the gap between the AEs and the entire group of DCs has narrowed in 2000–2022 from 3.5 to 2.1 times.However, DCs are highly differentiated and have many problems. The Arab countries (ACs), Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and Latin America (LA) were catching up in 2000–2022 to the level of the AEs’ AHDI on the whole twice as slow as China, India and a number of other Asian DCs. The proportion of the poor in SSA and South Asia is on the whole 2.5 times higher than in other DCs. In 2000–2022 the AAGR of total factor productivity (TFP) for ACs, SSA and LA was on the whole three times lower than in Asian DCs. While in the AEs the total outstanding debt to GDP increased in 1980–2022 1.9 times, in DCs it rose 2.3 times to 210%, incl. in China up to 290% of GDP.In the context of growing geoeconomic and geopolitical rivalry in the world, in which the fourth technological revolution is unfolding (with the massive use of robots, super-powerful computers, artificial intelligence), DCs, if they want to stand up to these challenges, should substantially intensify efforts aimed at reducing the high level of inequality, improving the quality of human capital and upgrading government effectiveness.
Asia & Africa today. 2023;(7):5-14
pages 5-14 views

Politics, economics

The Fight Against Corruption in the Chinese Army as an Important Component of the Work to Strengthen the Armed Forces. Part 1

Gorbachev B.

Resumo

The article analyzes the fight against corruption, violation of moral norms and rules of conduct, which began in the 1980s to infiltrate the armed forces of China as the socio-economic transformations in the country and the reform of the armed forces advance. These negative phenomena reflected the general situation of corruption in Chinese society, since the military personnel, as part of society, were not isolated from it. In the 2010s, corruption reached a large scale, corroding the army from the inside, reducing the combat and morale of the troops.The situation changed dramatically after Xi Jinping came to the supreme power in the country and the army. He personally led the fight against corruption in the country and the army, showed political will to remove top leaders from their positions, up to members of the Politburo of the CPC and vice-presidents of the Central Military Commission of the PRC.The author shows what results various anti-corruption measures brought, becoming an important component of the efforts of the PRC leadership to strengthen the country’s armed forces, and states that the comprehensive work to prevent corruption and decay in the army will continue for a long time.
Asia & Africa today. 2023;(7):15-25
pages 15-25 views

Taiwan Crisis 2022: Korean Dimension

Babaev K., Polenova A.

Resumo

The article describes most important statements and actions of officials, experts and media of both Korean states within the escalation of the situation around Taiwan in summer and autumn 2022, as well as proposes perspectives of foreign policy of North and South Korea in case the conflict is escalated further. North Korea sees the Taiwan issue solely as an internal Chinese affair, and to Pyongyang, the US intervention is an attempt to destabilize the international situation. Seoul, being both a military and political ally of the United States and a major trading partner of the People’s Republic of China, is trying not to anger any of the two great powers. South Korean experts fear that in the event of a military conflict between the US and China, Seoul would not be able to stay neutral. Seoul also does not exclude North Korea taking advantage of the US-PRC conflict and escalating the situation on the peninsula. In this turn of events, the risk of turning the Korean peninsula into a flashpoint is extremely high.
Asia & Africa today. 2023;(7):26-32
pages 26-32 views

Vietnam and Other ASEAN Countries During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Dyomina Y.

Resumo

The author analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the economy of Vietnam and other ASEAN member states. Although the mentioned countries experienced an economic downturn for the first time in 22 years in 2020, growth rates of macroeconomic indicators quickly recovered. Vietnam was able to withstand the pandemic shock better than other ASEAN members, despite the fact that it had the largest number of cumulative COVID-19 cases within the Association.During the first year of the pandemic, ASEAN coped with it quite successfully. However, the situation in Vietnam and ASEAN as a whole has changed dramatically with the appearance of the Delta strain in 2021. Vaccination in most ASEAN countries is successful (Brunei and Singapore are the best, Myanmar is the worst; Vietnam and Laos share the 2nd place), allowing to gradually reduce restrictions. Despite the pandemic, in November 2020, 15 states of the region signed the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement. According to experts, Vietnam will benefit the most among RCEP member states.
Asia & Africa today. 2023;(7):33-41
pages 33-41 views

Cooperation Between Asian Countries in the Field of Digital Identification of a Person

Dolganova O.

Resumo

The author considers the keyways of cooperation between Asian countries in the field of digital identification of a person. The specifics of memorandums on the joint development and development of integration solutions for cross-country digital identification are shown using the example of Singapore, South Korea, India, the Philippines.The dissemination of strategies and approaches to the digital identification of citizens through educational and outreach activities has been demonstrated using the example of China and India. The provision of financial, organizational and methodological support in the creation of national systems of digital identification of a person is considered using the example of India, Sri Lanka and the Philippines. The key areas of application of leading solutions in this area are also presented: the Indian Aadhaar system, Singapore’s Singpass, the Chinese social credit system. The trends of transition to open platform solutions and decentralized methods of digital identification of citizens, which simplify their use both within the country and abroad, are highlighted.
Asia & Africa today. 2023;(7):42-48
pages 42-48 views

The Great Man-Made River Project after Muammar Gaddafi’s Overthrow

Akhmatshina E., Luchenkov I.

Resumo

This article focuses on the analysis of the implementation and maintenance of the Great Man-Made River project (GMMR) after Muammar Gaddafi’s Overthrow in 2011. Libya is one of the poorest countries in terms of freshwater per capita. Due to the need to cover the growing domestic and drinking demands, it was necessary to provide water supply to both cities on the narrow coastline of Tripolitania and Cyrenaica, and small villages of Fezzan. The discovery of the Nubian Sandstone Aquifer System made it possible to start building an underground pipelines network using the resources of deep-lying water deposits. The chronological scope of the paper covers more than a decade or the period from 2011 to the present. The main research issue focuses on the study of the maintaining the Great Man-Made River in the modern times. The paper also emphasizes the damage caused by hostilities. In the context of the research issue, the authors analyze a number of historical facts and data regarding the development of the water policy as well as key Hydraulic Engineering projects in Libya.
Asia & Africa today. 2023;(7):49-57
pages 49-57 views

ECOWAS: Energy and Digital Infrastructure as a Factor of Regional Integration and Development

Novikova Z., Kalinichenko L.

Resumo

The article analyzes one of the most important objectives of ECOWAS development strategy “Vision 2050”, which provides for the intensification of energy and digital infrastructure creation, its operation efficiency growth and the quality of services improvement. The implementation of this aim will contribute to the transformation of the subregion into a fully integrated and interconnected economic zone over the next three decades. The authors consider the current problems of these economic spheres related to the need to expand their financing and coordinate management at the subregional level and to the construction of complex infrastructure facilities due to a significant increase in electricity consumption and the penetration of digitalization process into such sectors of the economy as finance, education, public administration.Important components of the strategy are the creation of a single energy market and participation in Pan-African Communication System Project. Cape Verde is seen as a digital platform, a regional technology hub bringing together the countries of the Community. It is planned to use a submarine fiber optic cable for connecting Cape Verde to Guinea-Bissau, Sierra Leone, Liberia, Guinea and to the EllaLink cable system between Brazil and Portugal. The training system WebLab is deployed to support education for ICT development.
Asia & Africa today. 2023;(7):58-67
pages 58-67 views

Scientific life

Africa’s Role and Place in the Forming Multipolar World

Volkov S., Deych T.

Resumo

In March, Center for Russian-African Relations and Foreign Policy of African Countries of the Institute for African Studies (Russian Academy of Sciences) held a conference “Africa – the Rising Center of an Emerging Multipolar World”. The conference took place during a period of sharp aggravation of the international situation, which required for Russia to revise the directions of its foreign policy with the focus on some countries, in particular, the countries of Africa.The event held in the format of a videoconference was attended by scientists of the IAfr RAS, MGIMO University, RISI, Institute of Economics (Academy of Sciences of Belarus), Research Economic Institute of the Ministry of Economy (Republic of Belarus), teachers and students of Patrice Lumumba RUDN University, Moscow State University, TISBI University of Management (Kazan, Russia), Samara State University of Economics.The role and place of African countries in the system of international relations and in strategies of the main centers of power, the African policy of the world’s leading players, as well as the state and prospects of Russian- and Belarusian-African cooperation in the context of a sharp aggravation of the international situation and tough economic sanctions imposed by the West on Russia and Belarus were discussed. The speeches contained recommendations on strengthening both countries mutually beneficial partnership with African states, which may be used by government organizations and business community.
Asia & Africa today. 2023;(7):68-71
pages 68-71 views

Culture, literature, art

Postcoloniality as a Reality, Postcolonial Discourse as a Phantom

Gavristova T.

Resumo

The formation of postcolonial discourse is inextricably linked with the analysis of the changes in African countries over the past decades. A wide range of ideas replicated by postcolonial theorists, from Franz Fanon to Achille Mbembe, is currently engaged, but their detailed study raises many questions. How do the traditions of the pre-colonial and colonial past and the post-colonial future correlate in contemporary Africa? What is the postcolony and is it related to the results of decolonization? Is there a postcolonial reality and what is actually the main focus of postcolonial research? The philosopher of Cameroonian origin A.Mbembe, the author of the book “On the Postcolony” (2000), believes that postcolonial discourse is still being formed and defines its subject: hence the presence of such phenomena as postcolonial trauma, postcolonial syndrome and various kinds of “grimaces” of postcoloniality. The reasons for their occurrence lie not so much in the colonial past, but in people’s distorted ideas about each other. Stereotypes and vestiges of xenophobia are receding as education and culture develop in society. However, the fact that post-colonial studies can now influence this process remains only a dream.The postcolonial paradigm is present in almost all genres of research and literature. The actualization of post-colonial problems has also affected the artistic environment. An example is the works of the famous London designer Yinka Shonibare of Nigerian origin.
Asia & Africa today. 2023;(7):72-78
pages 72-78 views