Chinese Government Agencies Research Articles

China to boost domestic science journals

Chinese government agencies have announced plans to promote China’s science and technology journals. The agencies vowed to support locally published English-language journals to compete with intern...

Fostering Model Citizenship: Behavioral Responses to China’s Emerging Social Credit Systems

A variety of social credit systems (SCSs) are being implemented in China in order to steer the behavior of Chinese individuals, businesses, social organizations, and government agencies. The government and industry architects of these SCSs claim that such systems will eventually lead to more honest and law‐abiding behavior, thus improving the quality of life among China’s citizenry. However, very little is known about citizens’ experience with and responses to different types of SCS initiatives. This article helps to address this gap. On the basis of a cross‐regional survey and interviews with SCS participants, we find that a surprisingly high share of respondents changed their behavior at least once, with changes concentrated in a few categories, including changing shopping behavior and following traffic regulations. Citizens who were part of a mandatory government‐run SCS pilot report altered their behavior in more ways than citizens who joined a commercial SCS. Interestingly, behavioral responses are driven mainly by material or symbolic (i.e., social recognition) motivations to influence scores in a positive way, with punitive elements playing less of a role. Finally, we find that SCSs currently reach only specific citizen groups due to variable responsiveness to the incentives provided by commercial and government‐run SCSs.

Ethical Leadership and Unethical Pro‐Organisational Behaviour: The Mediating Mechanism of Reflective Moral Attentiveness

This study examines the mediating effects of reflective moral attentiveness on the relationship between ethical leadership and subordinates’ unethical pro‐organisational behaviour (UPB). Based on two‐wave survey data obtained from 233 employees in 60 teams from Chinese government agencies, we found that ethical leadership was positively related to reflective moral attentiveness. In addition, we found that reflective moral attentiveness mediated the relationship between ethical leadership and UPB, such that ethical leadership negatively influenced subordinates’ unethical pro‐organisational behaviour through enhancing reflective moral attentiveness.

Healthy Data Protection

Healthy Data Protection

China’s social credit systems and public opinion: Explaining high levels of approval

A variety of commercial and local government social credit systems (SCSs) are now being implemented in China in order to steer the behavior of Chinese individuals, businesses, social organizations, and government agencies. Previous research finds that these SCSs are employed by the Chinese state as “surveillance infrastructure” and for social management. This article focuses on a different angle: the public’s opinion of SCSs. Based on a cross-regional survey, the study finds a surprisingly high degree of approval of SCSs across respondent groups. Interestingly, more socially advantaged citizens (wealthier, better-educated, and urban residents) show the strongest approval of SCSs, along with older people. While one might expect such knowledgeable citizens to be most concerned about the privacy implications of SCS, they instead appear to embrace SCSs because they interpret it through frames of benefit-generation and promoting honest dealings in society and the economy instead of privacy-violation.

China’s Social Credit Systems and Public Opinion: Explaining High Levels of Approval

A variety of commercial and local government Social Credit Systems (SCSs) are now being implemented in China in order to steer the behavior of Chinese individuals, businesses, social organizations and government agencies. Previous research finds that these SCSs are employed by the Chinese state as ‘surveillance infrastructure’ and for social management. This paper focuses on a different angle: the public’s opinion of SCSs. Based on a cross-regional survey, the study finds a surprisingly high degree of approval of SCSs across respondent groups. Interestingly, more socially advantaged citizens (wealthier, better-educated and urban residents) show the strongest approval of SCSs, along with older people. While one might expect such knowledgeable citizens to be most concerned about the privacy implications of SCS, they instead appear to embrace SCSs because they interpret it through frames of benefit-generation and promoting honest dealings in society and the economy instead of privacy-violation.

The roles of health culture and physical environment in workplace health promotion: a two-year prospective intervention study in China

BackgroundTo understand the potential influencing factors on the effectiveness of workplace health promotion interventions and examine whether workplace health culture and physical environment can mediate the relationship between workplace health promotion and intervention effectiveness.MethodsA total of 719 participants from 10 Chinese government agencies were recruited for a prospective self-controlled trial. Questionnaires, qualitative interviews, and direct observation were used for the baseline evaluation, process evaluation, and effectiveness evaluation. Based on the results of the need assessment and risk assessment at each workplace, a two-year comprehensive health intervention was conducted by each workplace. Health outcomes including self-rated health (SRH) and mental health were measured at baseline and 24 months. Health culture was measured at 24 months. Physical environment and intervention implementation were measured at 12 months and 24 months.ResultsCompared with the baseline, the means of SRH and mental health increased significantly by 0.302 and 2.698, respectively. The SRH scores were different before and after intervention; furthermore, the differences varied by workplace. Health culture mediated the relationship between intervention implementation and intervention effectiveness, including SRH and mental health improvement, but physical environment did not. Physical environment quality was significantly negatively correlated with SRH improvement and mental health improvement. Under the relatively high-quality interventions with scores higher than 4.047 or 4.151 (out of 5), better health culture may led to greater SRH and mental health improvements.ConclusionsHealth culture may mediate the relationship between intervention implementation and intervention effectiveness, whereas physical environment does not seem to mediate this relationship. Under relatively high-quality interventions, a better health culture may lead to more positive improvements in SRH and mental health. Future studies will need to examine the physical environment as a moderating effect rather than mediating effect.Trial registrationThis study was retrospectively registered in Chinese Clinical Trial Registry. Trial registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-16010059. Date of registration: Dec 1, 2016.

China mandates car battery recycling

Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers will be responsible for recycling the batteries in their vehicles, according to new rules jointly issued by several Chinese government agencies. The rules, effective Aug. 1, also mandate that automakers set up a national network of service stations where car owners can discard or exchange old batteries. The rules further obligate battery makers to standardize their products to facilitate end-of-life recovery. The government says it will support R&D to improve the recyclability of batteries. China started producing electric cars in 2009 and is now home to the world’s largest fleet.

Fostering Model Citizenship: Behavioral Responses to China’s Emerging Social Credit Systems

A variety of social credit systems (SCSs) are being implemented in China in order to steer the behavior of Chinese individuals, businesses, social organizations, and government agencies. The architects of these SCSs – national and local governments, as well as commercial firms – claim such systems will eventually lead to more honest and law-abiding behavior in society and, thus, improve the quality of life among China’s citizenry. At present, however, very little is known about citizens’ experience with and responses to different types of SCS initiatives. This paper helps to address this gap. Based on a cross-regional survey and interviews with SCS participants, the study finds that a surprisingly high share of respondents report having changed their behavior at least once, and those changes are concentrated in a few categories. Citizens who were part of a mandatory government-run SCS pilot report have altered their behavior in more ways than citizens who joined a commercial SCS. Interestingly, behavioral responses are driven mainly by material or symbolic (i.e., social recognition) motivations to influence scores and assessments in a positive way, while punitive elements currently play less of a role in SCSs. Finally, our findings indicate that SCSs currently reach only specific citizen groups because not everyone is responsive to the incentives provided by commercial and government-run SCSs.

Applied Mycology Can Contribute to Sustainable Rural Livelihoods: Building upon China's Matsutake Management Initiatives.

Matsutake mushrooms are an important part of rural livelihoods and forest ecosystems across large parts of China, as well as elsewhere in East Asia, Northern Europe and North America. Mushroom harvesters have developed sophisticated understandings of matsutake ecology and production, and are applying this knowledge in various innovative management strategies. At the same time, Chinese government agencies and scientists are promoting matsutake-based livelihoods to support development and conservation goals. We collaborated with matsutake harvesters in one Yunnan community to carry out a systematic experiment on a popular shiro-level management technique: covering matsutake shiros with either plastic or leaf litter. Our experimental results suggest that although leaf litter coverings are superior to plastic coverings, shiros that are left uncovered may produce the highest yields. Complementing our experimental work is a multi-sited household survey of existing matsutake management practices across Yunnan, which shows that a high proportion of harvesters are already engaged in a broad range of potentially beneficial management strategies. Though both findings highlight limitations of previous initiatives led by government and research actors in China, this existing body of work is an important foundation and opportunity for developing applied mycology in the region. In and beyond China, working with communities to develop site-specific management strategies through rigorous and participatory scientific inquiry can provide salient benefits for both scientists and resource users.

Wetlands classification and assessment of Ramsar sites in China based on time series Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) imagery

Globally, wetland loss and degradation have become serious environmental and ecological issues. Wetland monitoring of Ramsar sites in China is important for developing reasonable strategies to protect wetlands. Satellite image time series may be used for the long-term monitoring of wetland ecosystems. The present study used moderate-resolution imaging spectroradiometer (MODIS) time series data collected in 2001 and 2013 for 20 Ramsar sites in China and assessed the environmental status of these reserves using landscape metrics. The results showed that specific seasonal wetland classes, such as flooded mud, permanent water and seasonal marshes, can be identified using MODIS time series data with acceptable accuracy. In addition to wetland area, we suggest using other landscape metrics, including landscape integrity and landscape disturbance or degradation indices, to assess wetland environmental quality. The slight wetland loss (0.8%) noted in the 20 reserves evaluated herein could indicate the effectiveness of efforts of the Chinese government and local government agencies to protect Ramsar sites. The existing unfavourable environmental conditions, which were manifested by low landscape integrity and high landscape disturbance or degradation for some reserves, were caused primarily by increasing water requirements outside the reserves and by agricultural development within reserves. Therefore, determining how to balance relationships between economic development and ecological protection of the reserves will be important in the future.

The Effect of Cross-Border E-Commerce on China’s International Trade: An Empirical Study Based on Transaction Cost Analysis

Reducing transaction costs by means of policy intervention could generate comparative advantages and contribute to the growth of international trade. Chinese government agencies have introduced a number of policies in support of rapidly growing cross-border e-commerce to promote China’s international trade. However, the previous literature has not empirically verified the precise effect of these policies on the growth of international trade while focusing on the impact of cross-border e-commerce on trade distance and consumer welfare. To address this gap, this paper investigates the impact of cross-border e-commerce on international trade in the context of China, mainly from the perspective of transaction cost economics in conjunction with the traditional comparative advantage model by analyzing information cost, negotiation cost, transportation cost, tariffs and middlemen cost separately. Firstly, the new theoretical model suggests that cross-border e-commerce may have a positive role in promoting international trade only when the negative impact caused by tariff cost and transportation cost is offset. Secondly, our result shows that cross-border e-commerce has a positive effect on the growth of China’s international trade in each year. However, the positive effect does not show incremental growth over time, possibly as a result of the weak implementation of favorable policies in trade, in addition to global trade shrinking.

CO2 Emissions Embodied in Interprovincial Electricity Transmissions in China.

Existing studies on the evaluation of CO2 emissions due to electricity consumption in China are inaccurate and incomplete. This study uses a network approach to calculate CO2 emissions of purchased electricity in Chinese provinces. The CO2 emission factors of purchased electricity range from 265 g/kWh in Sichuan to 947 g/kWh in Inner Mongolia. We find that emission factors of purchased electricity in many provinces are quite different from the emission factors of electricity generation. This indicates the importance of the network approach in accurately reflecting embodied emissions. We also observe substantial variations of emissions factors of purchased electricity within subnational grids: the provincial emission factors deviate from the corresponding subnational-grid averages from -58% to 44%. This implies that using subnational-grid averages as required by Chinese government agencies can be quite inaccurate for reporting indirect CO2 emissions of enterprises' purchased electricity. The network approach can improve the accuracy of the quantification of embodied emissions in purchased electricity and emission flows embodied in electricity transmission.

Local policy-making process in China: a case study

The previous studies about Chinese policy process give predominant focus in the agenda setting or proposing policy issue stage. There is limited record and analysis on the policymaking process. Once agenda is set, it is government’s responsibility to formulate practical and applicable policy terms. Therefore, a close examination of how local government makes policies is needed. The purpose of this case study is to unveil the basic policymaking process practiced in local Chinese government and also to establish a starting point for further analysis. The question of how and how much citizen participation is involved in the formal and legal day-to-day policy process is answered in this particular case study. Hence, from the purpose, this paper is descriptive to infer the concept of citizen participation in Chinese local government agencies and, if possible, to develop theoretical implications to the formal Chinese local policy process.

Introduction to Abstracts to be Presented at the Fifth Chinese Congress on Gerontology and Health Industry.

It is again with great pleasure that we introduce the research work to be presented at the third Chinese Congress on Gerontology and Health Industry (CCGI), which is published in abstract form in this issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society (JAGS). The CCGI is a national conference organized by the Chinese Geriatrics Society (CGS), Chinese Medical Association. The third CCGI conference will be held on September 12–14, 2014 in the city of Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, the People’s Republic of China. Held in the same city on September 13-15 of last year, the second CCGI conference, received very positive feedback in China and proved to be a great success, with 182 abstracts published by JAGS September 2013 supplement issue [J Am Geriatr Soc 2013; 61 (S3): S307–S370]. As a result, the number of collaborating professional organizations and government agencies related to geriatrics, gerontology, and senior healthcare has increased to 36 this year, compared to 32 last year. In addition, we have 191 quality abstracts to be included in this issue, about 5% increase from last year. Similar to the second CCGI conference last year, the work to be presented at the third CCGI conference this year encompasses many important areas of geriatrics and gerontology, from basic aging research to clinical trials; from clinical observation to large epidemiological studies; and from biological investigations to social and behavioral research. Studies concerning cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative conditions, malignancies, and other common age-dependent chronic conditions are abundant. Moreover, a number of abstracts describe important findings on genetic polymorphisms in Parkinson’s disease and cognitive impairment in the genetically homogeneous population in Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, northwest of China. Several others describe promising results from clinical trials of traditional Chinese herbal medicine for age-related chronic diseases. Also well represented are the cutting-edge basic aging research topics including stem cell biology, carcinogenesis, and cellular senescence. Publication of such exemplary work in geriatrics and gerontology in this supplement issue of JAGS will further our effort to promote meaningful scientific and scholarly exchange with the geriatrics community in the United States and around the world. To this end, we would like to thank again the leadership of JAGS, particularly Dr. Thomas Yoshikawa, Editor-in-Chief, and Mr. Kurt Polesky, Business Development Manager at Wiley for their support and effort in making this a success. As pointed out in JAGS September 2013 supplement issue, China has the largest aging population in the world. The need for the development of quality geriatrics care and aging research in that vast country is unprecedented. With the support from Chinese government agencies and the entire society, the current CGS leadership is dedicated to the development of standards for high quality geriatrics clinical care and education as well as advancement of gerontological research, a necessary step towards establishing geriatrics as a medical subspecialty in China. For instance, CGS is leading the way in developing and standardizing geriatric medicine textbooks as well as organizing national training courses for academic leaders in geriatrics and gerontology. In addition, US medical philanthropy such as the Milstein Medical Asian American Partnership (MMAAP) Foundation has established the Irma and Paul Milstein Program for Senior Health to provide private funding for further development of geriatric medicine and aging research programs in China. It is hoped that leaders in the US geriatrics community can partner with their colleagues in China to apply for such funding (see the MMAAP Foundation website www.mmaapf.org for details). Furthermore, the healthcare market in China has been recently opened to the private sector, and the Chinese government encourages the introduction of innovative geriatrics care models and senior healthcare management expertise to meet the healthcare needs of Chinese senior citizens, creating a unique opportunity for geriatrics *From the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 5505 Hopkins Bayview Circle, Baltimore, MD, 21224, USA; The American Geriatrics Society, 40 Fulton St, New York, NY, 10038, USA; and Department of Geriatric Cardiology, Chinese Great Wall Hospital, 28 Fuxing Road, Beijing, 100853, P. R. China.

A Comparative Study of the Citation Impact of Chinese Journals with Government Priority Support

In order to improve the citation impact of Chinese journals, relevant Chinese government agencies have launched a program entitled Citation Impact Upgrading Plan (CIUP) with financial support. Only a few journals that perform better have been screened out for CIUP support. The current study tries to figure out if the screening results reflect the bibliometric status of the journals. We compare journals being supported by CIUP with unsupported ones. Journals supported by the CIUP have made progress in raising their JIF values and perform better in terms of JIF values. Journals citing CIUP journals have a spectrum of higher JIF values. Journals in a cited network of a CIUP journal are better integrated with one another. Wide gaps, however, still exist between Chinese and leading international journals. A network visualization of being-cited patterns can be used to measure a journal’s citation impact in relation to the JIF values of journals in the network. Policy suggestions on improving citation impact of Chinese journals will be proposed.

Ethical Leadership and UPB: The Mediating Mechanism of Moral Attentiveness

In this article, we highlight the mediating effects of reflective and perceptual moral attentiveness on the relationship between ethical leadership and subordinates’ unethical pro-organizational behavior (UPB). Based on two-wave survey data obtained from 233 employees in 60 teams from Chinese government agencies, we find that ethical leadership is positively related to reflective moral attentiveness, but negatively related to perceptual moral attentiveness. In addition, we find that moral attentiveness mediated the relationship between ethical leadership and UPB such that ethical leadership negatively influenced subordinates’ UPB through enhancing reflective moral attentiveness and reducing their perceptual moral attentiveness.

Thoughts on the Designs, Applications, Trends, and Challenges of Underwater Observation Information Systems

Promoting the creation of functional underwater observation information systems is an urgent priority for China's national maritime defense, its ability to preserve its maritime rights, and marine disaster prevention and management. It is also an requirement of civil-military integration development to fulfill the overlapping missions of the Chinese military and civil government agencies. This paper reviews the current state of affairs and the ongoing trends in the field of underwater observation information systems in China and abroad. This study analyzes the problems faced by researchers and users in the development of underwater observation informa- tion system. The paper concludes by proposing a strategic goal, identifying the key projects and making policy recommendations for underwater observation information systems for stakeholders to consider.

Progress, perspective, and commercialization of heavy metal ion detection technology into China

Heavy metals contamination resulting from fossil fuel combustion among other sources has been become a focus of the community of nations. New detection methods can help to manage this growing concern. In 2008, Dr. Zang and his colleagues succeeded in building a fluorescent sensor based on a perylene modification with two thymine moieties to successfully detect mercury in water. Through the sub-national EcoPartnership program sponsored by the U.S. and China, the development of this technology has been advanced and is now ready for demonstration as a real time, in situ testing procedure. The Utah-Qinghai EcoPartnership is also helping to facilitate commercialization of new technologies through the coordination of government entities, local universities, and commercial partners. Adapting new technology for deployment in China depends on understanding the specific roles of all these partners. Dr. Dingman offers an instructive insight on new technology implementation based on his years of involvement with Chinese government agencies and research institutions. Finally, new advances in intellectual property (IP) protection are enabling the successful deployment of useful technologies into China.

Latin America and China’s Transnationalizing Oil Industry: A Political Economy Assessment of New Relations

Chinese oil companies have recently started to set up operations in Latin America, and they are doing this at a rapid pace. This article aims to provide an overview of the increasing flows of oil and capital (fdiand credit) between Latin America and China, and to clarify how they interact with the broader Sino-Latin American relations as well as Latin America’s changing political landscape. In addition to regional trends, the cases of Venezuela, Brazil and Ecuador are discussed. The article combines an assessment of factual data with an analysis of the broader political economy context in which these new oil relations operate. Next to national differences, three general tendencies stand out: first, the type of arrangements and coordinated activities that Chinese companies, banks and government agencies deploy differ from those of other large oil-seeking nations; second, while the arrival of Chinese capital is welcomed by Latin American governments and pictured as part of non-imperialist South-South relations, Chinese oil companies and loans are sometimes criticized in local media by scholars, opposition andngos; and third, Chinese oil imports and investments have added to changing attitudes and policies towards strategic sectors under new political regimes, which allows for more social spending but which critics have labeled as the return to an ‘extractivist model.’