Accumulation In China Research Articles

Optimal taxation, differential mortality, and endogenous human capital accumulation in China

Optimal taxation, differential mortality, and endogenous human capital accumulation in China

The effects of foreign direct investment on human capital accumulation—Evidence from China

AbstractThis paper examines the effect of foreign direct investment (FDI) on human capital accumulation in China. The identification strategy exploits variations in FDI inflows across manufacturing sub‐sectors caused by China's FDI liberalisation and initial sectoral composition patterns across cities. Using a panel of city‐level data from 1990 to 2005, the paper shows that FDI liberalisation accelerated human capital accumulation. Cities with higher exposure to FDI liberalisation experienced higher growth in high school and college enrollment. FDI incentivizes individuals' investment in their human capital by paying a higher wage premium for skilled workers, pushing up the skill premium in the local labor market, and raising household income. Compared to export‐oriented FDI and FDI in less‐skilled industries, market‐seeking FDI and skill‐intensive FDI have a much larger effect on college enrollment.

Helium resource and play classification systems, effective reservoir control elements, and enrichment patterns in China

The classification system, effective reservoir control elements, and major enrichment and exploration modes of helium resources in China are analyzed based on the source of helium, carrier, geological background, and anatomy of typical helium-rich fields. Firstly, based on the special characteristics of helium and the correlation analysis of natural gas accumulation and reservoir formation, we analyzed and sorted out the helium resource and play type classification scheme and classification system in China from nine aspects, namely, the source of helium parental sources, helium type diversities, the storage and carrier types, the technically and economically recoverable characteristics of carrier gases, the carrier gas genesis, the main components of carrier gases, the matching combination of helium sources and reservoirs, background of prototype basin structure, and helium content, to lay the foundation for the subsequent targeted and detailed studies and evaluation programs in different categories. Secondly, the analysis points out the characteristics of helium resource types in the east, middle, and west of China in terms of longitudinal and transverse distribution, tectonic dynamics, geological and geochemical characteristics, and key conditions for the formation of helium deposits. Thirdly, from the perspective of the helium “generation-migration-accumulation” system and the controlling elements and effectiveness of helium-rich reservoir formation, we analyze the effective controlling elements of helium accumulation and the related problems that deserve attention in geological evaluation and point out the misunderstandings in helium reservoir formation and exploration evaluation. Last but not least, from the perspective of basin tectonic background, helium enrichment controlling mechanism and exploration direction, the exploration and evaluation direction and classification scheme for the four element combination zones of “original basin–structure–lithology–carrier gas” helium accumulation in China have been proposed, based on which, four types of basins and eight types of helium-rich zones in China have been sorted out. In these eight types of helium-rich zones, eight typical helium-rich field enrichment and exploration patterns, including the ancient uplift type of China's craton, fracture-fold variant of the craton margin, fracture-rise type of depression basin, slope bulge and uplift type of foreland basin, fracture-convex type of fracture basin, and U/Th-rich basement type of basin were analyzed, and the main controlling factors of the formation of different types of helium-rich deposits were analyzed, which will provide a reference for the subsequent exploration and discovery of similar helium-rich areas and exploration target evaluation.

Enhanced Carbon Accumulation in China's New Coastal Wetlands Over the 21st Century

AbstractWetlands formed by natural sediment deposition account for a large proportion of new coastal lands, and these new wetlands usually have active ecosystems and obvious ecological effects. However, previous studies largely overlooked this sediment‐caused wetland expansion, and the spatiotemporal variation in these wetlands and future response to sea‐level rise (SLR) have not been determined. Here, we employed satellite observations to quantify the seaward expansion of coastal lands in China over the past two decades. A total land expansion of 6,651 km2 was found, and wetlands and artificial surfaces dominated, accounting for 32% and 25%, respectively. Subsequently, we utilized an integrated model to estimate the response of these new wetlands to SLR in the 21st century, that is, we estimated the wetland gain from sediment deposition and loss due to SLR. The results indicate that under the current condition of sediment availability, the area of China's new coastal wetlands is projected to increase by 200%–261% compared to that in 2020 based on four SLR scenarios, despite the unavoidable impact of SLR. These increases are accompanied by the continuous enhancement of carbon accumulation. Wetland changes are influenced by factors such as sediment deposition, SLR and storm surges, as well as the continued effect of local natural and anthropogenic factors. These results show the importance of understanding the ecological effects of new wetlands and constructing specific protection measures for sustainable development.

Increased straw return promoted soil organic carbon accumulation in China's croplands over the past 40 years

Quantifying changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks within croplands across a broad spatiotemporal scale in response to anthropogenic and environmental factors offers valuable insights for sustainable agriculture aimed to improve soil health. Using a validated and widely used soil carbon model RothC, we simulated the SOC dynamics across intensive croplands in China that support ∼22 % of the global population using only 7 % of the global cropland area. The modelling results demonstrate that the optimized RothC effectively captures SOC dynamics measured across 29 long-term field trials during 40 years. Between 1980 and 2020, the average SOC at the top 30 cm in croplands increased from 40 Mg C ha−1 to 49 Mg C ha−1, resulting in a national carbon sequestration of 1100 Tg C, with an average carbon sequestration rate of 27 Tg C yr−1. The annual increase rate of SOC (relative to the SOC stock of the previous year), starting at <0.2 % yr−1 in the 1980s, reached around 0.4 % yr−1 in the 1990s and further rose to about 0.8 % yr−1 in the 2000s and 2010s. Notably, the eastern and southern regions, comprising about 40 % of the croplands, contributed about two-thirds of the national SOC gain. In northeast China, SOC slightly decreased from 58 Mg C ha−1 in 1980 to 57 Mg C ha−1 in 2020, resulting in a total decline of 28 Tg C. Increased organic C inputs, particularly from the straw return, was the crucial factor in SOC increase. Future strategies should focus on region-specific optimization of straw management. Specifically, in northeast China, increasing the proportion of straw returned to fields can prevent further SOC decline. In regions with SOC increase, such as the eastern and southern regions, diversified straw utilization (e.g., bioenergy production), could further mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

Contrasting north-south pattern in Holocene lacustrine carbon accumulation in China: Summer monsoon dynamics and human disturbance

Some studies suggest that the lacustrine carbon (C) accumulation has gradually increased during the Holocene in the monsoon region of eastern China, primarily due to the intensified human land use. However, other studies argue that the highest C accumulation in China's lakes occurred in the early Holocene, influenced by high summer insolation. The pattern and driving forces behind Holocene lacustrine C accumulation in eastern China remain controversial. In this study, carbon accumulation rate (CAR) records from eleven lakes in northern China and eight lakes in southern China were synthesized to examine variations in CAR between the two regions and to understand the factors driving these variations. The results reveal that CAR in northern China increased between 11 and 6 thousand calendar years before present (cal ka BP), as the strengthening summer monsoon resulted in increased precipitation, promoting the growth of vegetation in the lake's catchments and subsequently increasing terrestrial sediment and C input into lakes. Conversely, CAR in southern China decreased due to reduced precipitation, leading to a decline in sedimentation rate and C inputs in the lakes. After 6 cal ka BP, decreased precipitation and increased human activities in northern China reduced the forest cover, resulting in a decline in C input into lakes without reducing sediment inputs, which consequently led to a decrease in CAR. In southern China, higher precipitation and intensified human activities significantly increased sediment inputs without affecting C inputs, resulting in an increasing trend in CAR. Thus, human activities and the dipole pattern of precipitation created an inverse phase of C accumulation between northern and southern China in lakes throughout the Holocene. The study also highlights the importance of terrestrial C from the catchment in contributing to lacustrine C accumulation on large regional scale, as C in lake sediments was found to be closely associated with forest cover in the catchment.

Chinese infrastructure as spatial fix? A political ecology of development finance and irrigation in Cambodia

China has recently become an agent of intensified agricultural production in Southeast Asia by constructing large‐scale irrigation systems. Funded with Chinese development finance, such infrastructure projects have been interpreted as a ‘spatial fix’ for capital accumulation in China, which helps explain the shifting balance of power within the region's political economy. However, we argue that explaining the local outcomes of these projects requires mapping out Chinese development finance in relation to the multi‐scalar network of actors, circuits of capital, and struggles over water that produce irrigated landscapes. We draw on our joint research about the Chinese‐funded and built Kanghot Irrigation Development Project in Cambodia. We explain how the construction of Kanghot was shaped by the historical and political relations between China and Cambodia. Since completion in 2016, Kanghot irrigation has transformed agricultural production by enrolling farmers into a network of volatile commodity markets and harmful pest ecologies. There have also been ongoing community struggles over Kanghot's water due to the project's design and institutional management. By broadening the idea of infrastructure as spatial fix to include these material and social processes of agrarian landscape production, this paper advances a political ecology of Chinese development finance in Southeast Asia.

DSRSS-Net: Improved-Resolution Snow Cover Mapping from FY-4A Satellite Images Using the Dual-Branch Super-Resolution Semantic Segmentation Network

The Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is one of the regions with the highest snow accumulation in China. Although the Fengyun-4A (FY4A) satellite is capable of monitoring snow-covered areas in real time and on a wide scale at high temporal resolution, its spatial resolution is low. In this study, the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau, which has a harsh climate with few meteorological stations, was selected as the study area. We propose a deep learning model called the Dual-Branch Super-Resolution Semantic Segmentation Network (DSRSS-Net), in which one branch focuses with super resolution to obtain high-resolution snow distributions and the other branch carries out semantic segmentation to achieve accurate snow recognition. An edge enhancement module and coordinated attention mechanism were introduced into the network to improve the classification performance and edge segmentation effect for cloud versus snow. Multi-task loss is also used for optimization, including feature affinity loss and edge loss, to obtain fine structural information and improve edge segmentation. The 1 km resolution image obtained by coupling bands 1, 2, and 3; the 2 km resolution image obtained by coupling bands 4, 5, and 6; and the 500 m resolution image for a single channel, band 2, were inputted into the model for training. The accuracy of this model was verified using ground-based meteorological station data. Snow classification accuracy, false detection rate, and total classification accuracy were compared with the MOD10A1 snow product. The results show that, compared with MOD10A1, the snow classification accuracy and the average total accuracy of DSRSS-Net improved by 4.45% and 5.1%, respectively. The proposed method effectively reduces the misidentification of clouds and snow, has higher classification accuracy, and effectively improves the spatial resolution of FY-4A satellite snow cover products.

Fluoride contents in commonly used commercial phosphate fertilizers and their potential risks in China.

The application of phosphate fertilizer is an important source of anthropogenic fluoride in agricultural soil. However, relatively few studies have examined the fluoride content of phosphate fertilizers, and that has limited our understanding of the phosphate fertilizer contribution to soil fluoride accumulation and distribution. To examine this problem, we first quantified the total fluoride (TF) and water-soluble fluoride (WF) contents of six of the most commonly used commercial phosphate fertilizers in China (potassium dihydrogen phosphate (MKP), calcium superphosphate (SSP), monoammonium phosphate (MAP), diammonium phosphate (DAP), ternary compound fertilizer (NPK), and water-soluble macroelement fertilizer (WSF)). After calculating the [P2O5]/TF ratio for each of those fertilizers, we used those ratios and the average P2O5 application per crop of five typical crops grown in China (apples, greenhouse vegetables, wheat, corn, and rice) to estimate the annual fluoride accumulations in their soils after application of each type of phosphate fertilizer. Among the six fertilizer types, SSP, DAP, and NPK had much higher total fluoride and water-soluble fluoride contents than MKP, MAP, and WSF had. During crop production, the risk of fluoride accumulation was lower with MKP, MAP, and WSF (high [P2O5]/TF ratios) and higher with SSP, DAP, and NPK (low [P2O5]/TF ratios), especially in cash crops (fruit and greenhouse vegetables), which traditionally have unreasonably high P2O5 applications. Based on our findings, we proposed steps that should be taken to help effectively mitigate fluoride accumulation in China's agricultural soils.

Modification of exploration of long‐term nutrient trajectories for nitrogen (ELEMeNT-N) model to quantify legacy nitrogen dynamics in a typical watershed of eastern China

Legacy nitrogen (N) is recognized as a primary cause for the apparent failure of watershed N management strategies to achieve desired water quality goals. The ELEMeNT-N (exploration of long‐term nutrient trajectories for nitrogen) model, a parsimonious and process-based model, has the potential to effectively distinguish biogeochemical and hydrological legacy effects. However, ELEMeNT-N is limited in its ability to address long-term legacy N dynamics as it ignores temporal changes in soil organic N (SON) mineralization rates. This work represents the first use and modification of ELEMeNT-N to quantify legacy effects and capture spatial heterogeneity of legacy N accumulation in China. An exponential function based on mean annual temperature was employed to estimate yearly changes in SON mineralization rate. Based on a 31 year water quality record (1980–2010), the modified model achieved higher efficiency metrics for riverine N flux in the Yongan watershed in eastern China than the original model (Nash–Sutcliff coefficient: 0.87 vs. 0.72 and R 2: 0.80 vs. 0.71). The modified ELEMeNT-N results suggested that the riverine N flux mainly originated from the legacy N pool (88.2%). The mean overall N lag time was 11.9 years (95% confidence intervals (CIs): 8.3–21.3), of which biogeochemical lag time was 9.7 years (6.3–18.4) and hydrological lag time was 2.2 years (2.0–3.0). Legacy N accumulation showed considerable spatial heterogeneity, with 219–239 kg N ha−1 accumulated in soil and 143–188 kg N ha−1 accumulated in groundwater. The ELEMeNT-N model was an effective tool for addressing legacy N dynamics, and the modified form proposed here enhanced its ability to capture SON mineralization dynamics, thereby providing managers with critical information to optimize watershed N pollution control strategies.

Improvised Hybridity in the “Fixing” of Chinese Infrastructure Capital: The Case of Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway

AbstractThe article explores the role of state‐owned enterprises (SOEs) in the globalisation of China's infrastructure capital. Examining how accumulation strategies of Chinese SOEs are driven by a complex set of political and economic, state and private, interests, it foregrounds the inherently hybrid nature of China's state capitalism. We use Kenya's Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) as a case study to analyse how state infrastructure capital traverses borders, and the specific ways that contradictions of accumulation in China are relocated through the improvised hybridity of SOEs. In Kenya, China Road and Bridge Corporation, the main SGR contractor, shifted and adapted its strategies as the pursuit of economic productivity gave way to political priorities in China, simultaneously responding to changing socio‐political circumstances in Kenya and across East Africa. Analysing these dynamics, we highlight the contingencies of, and limitations to, structural reorganisation of actually existing forms of state capitalism in China and beyond.

Between Geopolitics and Development: The Belt and Road Initiative and the Limits of Capital Accumulation in China

What drives China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)? While some claim that the BRI is primarily about economic development, others see it as a grand strategy of a rising power with hegemonic aspirations. Is the BRI about development or geopolitics? This article adopts a political economy approach to bridge the developmental and geopolitical perspectives on the BRI. The primary argument is that the BRI signifies an attempt by the Chinese state to manage internal problems of capital accumulation by externalising development. In this sense, this is a typical crisis of capitalist development which generates a drive for geographic expansion and restructuring. The distinguishing feature of the BRI, apart from its sheer scale, is its emphasis on connectivity. Rather than simply exporting excess capital and capacity onto others, the BRI seeks to re-territorialise developmental spaces by connecting them via economic corridors consisting of hard and soft infrastructure networks. It is also contended here that in the process of constructing new infrastructures of capital, the BRI creates space for new forms of asymmetric interdependence between China and its partners. To the extent that such asymmetric relations generate costs of exiting China-centred networks, the initiative serves a geopolitical as well as a developmental function. Asymmetric interdependencies, whether they are by design or by-products of enhanced connectivity, thus facilitate China’s pursuit for a more prominent role in the international order.

Airborne lead: A vital factor influencing rice lead accumulation in China

Traditionally, lead (Pb) in rice grains has been thought to be mostly derived from soil, and the contribution of aerosol Pb remains so far unknown. Based on a meta-analysis, we surprisingly found rice Pb content decreased proportionally with urban atmospheric Pb concentrations in major rice-growing provinces in China during 2001–2015, suggestive of the strong influence of long-range Pb transport on agricultural environment. With the combination of field survey, field experiment, as well as a predictive model, we confirmed high contribution of atmospheric exposure to rice grain Pb in China. We for the first time developed a predictive mathematical model which revealed that aerosol Pb accumulation ratios of rice grains were related to both grain weight and accumulation types. We successfully predicted the national-scale rice Pb in China on the basis of the public data of urban PM2.5 from 19 rice-growing provinces and proposed a seasonal atmospheric Pb limit of 0.20 µg m−3 based on the safe threshold level of Pb in rice, which was much lower than the current limit of 1 µg m−3 set in China.

Capitalist Accumulation, Contradictions and Crisis in China, 1995–2015

Drawing upon Marxian and regulation theory, this article seeks to identify key dynamics and contradictions of capitalist accumulation in China between 1995 and 2015 and to explain these in their institutional context. To this end, data from national accounts and input-output tables is re-mapped to estimate Marxian categories such as the rates of surplus value and profit. The article demonstrateshow the transformation of the wage relation and an increase in the rate of surplus value lie at the core of a predominantly extensive accumulation regime that enabled rapid and uncoordinated growth facilitated by world market integration. In the wake of the global crisis, however, a confluence of contradictions has led to over-accumulation and a decline in profitability, clear symptoms of exhaustion of the accumulation regime that explain the current slowdown under the “New Normal.” The underlying contradictions are rooted in the institutional context of the “Socialist Market Economy,” but especially in the wage relation, which no longer supports sufficient increases in the rate of surplus value or a regular pace of accumulation.

Quantitative evaluation of transport efficiency of fault-reservoir composite migration pathway systems in carbonate petroliferous basins

Carbonate petroliferous basins usually develop fault-reservoir composite migration pathway systems. Accurate estimates of transport efficiency are important for locating oil and gas prospects, which is of considerable interest to oil explorers. The Cambrian Longwangmiao Formation in the Moxi–Gaoshiti area in the Sichuan Basin, the largest single monoblock gas accumulation in China with complicated migration pathway systems, was selected as an example to demonstrate the method. Using a combination of geologic, statistical, experimental data analyses, and quantitative characterization, a quantitative method for calculating the fault-reservoir composite transport efficiency is established for the first time. The results show that fault-reservoir composite migration pathway systems control the hydrocarbon accumulation. The analysis of data from 17 drilling wells using this method indicated a strong correlation between well productivity and composite transport efficiency, and the matching degree of actual and predicted results was as high as 83%. The best locations for oil and gas exploration are near areas with a high composite transport efficiency. Project planners can quickly find oil and gas prospects by matching calculated composite transport efficiencies to observed petroleum occurrences in a basin to avoid costly drilling mistakes. The method will have wide application in other carbonate basins around the world.

Imbalanced Stoichiometric Reservoir Sedimentation Regulates Methane Accumulation in China's Three Gorges Reservoir

AbstractThe river‐reservoir continuum drives a separation of sedimentation along the longitudinal hydrodynamic gradients, potentially causing imbalanced stoichiometric sedimentation. However, there are still uncertainties regarding the contribution of imbalanced stoichiometric sedimentation to methane emissions along this continuum. A 2‐year field survey and in situ experiments were conducted in China's Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR), a river‐valley‐dammed reservoir. Sediments were trapped and collected to analyze for particulate carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) concentrations of different sizes in the summer flooded and winter dry seasons along the mainstem. Large amounts of sediments were deposited in the middle part of the TGR, particularly in the summer flood season. Hydrodynamic gradients structured imbalanced stoichiometric sedimentation patterns. Averaged particulate C:N:P proportions in the sediment layer along the upper, middle, and lower parts of the TGR in the first 30 years of reservoir operation were estimated to be 68:7:1, 97:8:1, and 151:13:1, respectively. The middle part of the TGR, being the “control point” of methane accumulation based on seasons, exhibited a shift in stoichiometry and stable isotope signatures, indicating that there was likely a shift in sources of POM. P, specifically in smaller size particles (&lt;10 μm), seemed to be the potential key driver that regulates particulate C:N:P in the sediment of the TGR. Its sedimentation, primarily in the middle part of the TGR, contributed to the significant decreases in particulate C/P ratios and could possibly regulate long‐term CH4 accumulation in the reservoir.

Primitive Socialist Accumulation in China: An Alternative View on the Anomalies of Chinese “Capitalism”

China’s economic system has yet to be adequately explained by any models. China’s export-led industries were initially viewed as a source of cheap labor but its economy has now emerged as a serious competitor to advanced capitalism. However, after decades of market reform, China’s state sector, rather than disappearing or being marginalized, has become a leader in strategic sectors and the driver of its investment-led growth. Heterodox political scientists and economists have long argued that China is at best a variant within global capitalism. This paper discusses heterodox theories that position China as part of global capitalism or regard it as a variety of capitalism. It then examines the anomalies of Chinese “capitalism” and suggests that primitive socialist accumulation—operating in conflict with capitalist accumulation—offers a more appropriate theoretical framework for studying China’s development.

Migration and human capital accumulation in China

The difference in educational attainment between China's urban- and rural-born populations has widened in recent years, and the relatively low educational attainment of the rural-born is a significant obstacle to raising labor productivity. Rural-to-urban migration does not create incentives to enroll in higher education as the availability of low-skill employment in urban areas makes remaining in school less attractive. In addition, the child-fostering and urban schooling arrangements for children of migrants further inhibit human capital accumulation.

Leisure & travel as class signifier: Distinction practices of China's new rich

Along with its open-door policy and economic reforms, wealth accumulation in China has experienced tremendous growth in a short time. Notably, a group of new rich has emerged in the process of wealth and social reconfiguration. Being rich creates tremendous possibilities for individuals to tailor their leisure activities and lifestyles. Situating individuals' travel in the overall spectrum of leisure, this study explores the distinction practices adopted by China's new rich at leisure sites. Phenomenological interviews were conducted with 29 China's High Net Wealth individuals. The findings discover the spectrum of highbrow–lowbrow tastes occurring at leisure sites with three patterns of leisure constructions: conspicuous waste, conspicuous taste, and lifestyle. Supplementing Veblen and Bourdieu's traditions, the study further deepens scholars' comprehension of social distinction in tourism academia.

Inequalities and capital accumulation in China

ABSTRACT This article contributes to the debate on income and wealth distribution in China by analyzing the main characteristics of the Chinese accumulation pattern that determine its distributive dynamics in a comparative perspective. After a period of rapid growth of inequalities, coupled with improved living conditions for all distribution deciles, inequalities have stabilized in China since the mid-2000s. Globally, China is today in a distributive pattern worse than Western Europe or Japan, but it is more egalitarian than the United States and far from the world inequality frontier defined by Brazil, India, South Africa and the Middle East. In this article, we scrutinize three characteristics of the regime of accumulation in China that mitigate the capital-concentrating tendency: 1. the financialization process with Chinese characteristics, 2. the strategic share of State ownership in the economy, 3. its trajectory over the agrarian question.