Chinese Policymakers Research Articles

Communicating science across different cultures — a reflection on the PCST Suzhou Symposium 2024

The symposium occurred from 17–19 October 2024 in Suzhou, China, a city famous for its long history and rich culture and often called “the heaven on Earth”. The 230 delegates from 26 countries spent two insightful days immersed in the world of science communication. The event highlighted that Chinese policymakers and research leaders are taking science communication and science literacy seriously. In his opening speech, Professor Yanhao Xu, Vice Chairman of the National Education, Science, Health and Sports Committee, recalled that China has a special law on science popularisation that recognises science communication as of equal importance to technological innovation. This also means that suitable communication activities must accompany every major Chinese scientific initiative.

Whole-of-Nation Innovation

China wants to become a science, technology, and manufacturing superpower by upgrading and modernizing its industrial base and concentrating the nation’s innovation resources around strategic priorities. However, it is difficult for the state to integrate innovation resources because of the gap separating universities and research organizations from industry, which impedes the translation of scientific output into technological prowess. By contrast, Beijing has been much more successful at directing industrial development. As a result, achieving a modernized industrial base is now the dominant framework for Chinese policymakers as they pursue technological self-reliance.

The trajectory of frailty index among spousal caregivers: longitudinal evidence from China

Abstract Background Very few studies have investigated the association between providing unpaid caregiving to a spouse and the frailty of caregivers. This study aims to examine the impact of providing spousal care on frailty among the middle aged and older Chinese population. Methods Data were derived from the 2011, 2013, 2015, and 2018 waves of China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) including 4,008 participants aged 50 and above. Frailty was assessed using a composite mean score based on 41 indicators according to Rockwood frailty criteria, including self-reported health, medically diagnosed conditions, medical symptoms, functional activities assessment, Activities of Daily Living (ADLs), and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). A growth curve model was employed to investigate the differences in frailty among caregivers and non-caregivers. Results Compared to non-caregivers, spousal caregivers were more likely to have a higher frailty when adjusted for all covariates (Beta=0.010, SE = 0.003, p < 0.001). Furthermore, female caregivers exhibited a higher rate of change of frailty index over time (Beta=0.002, SE = 0.001, p < 0.05) compared to female non-caregivers, while no such effect was found in males. Conclusions The findings of this study reveal that providing unpaid care to a spouse is associated with an increase in the frailty index over time particularly among female caregivers. These insights underline the necessity for Chinese policymakers to develop and implement targeted interventions aimed at reducing burden on spousal caregiving, thereby preventing an increase in frailty among these caregivers. Such measures would also align with the broader objective of promoting healthy ageing. Key messages • Chinese policymakers need to develop and implement targeted interventions to reduce the burden on female spousal caregivers and prevent increased frailty. • Focusing on the frailty of female spousal caregivers is crucial for promoting healthy aging.

Evolving Normative Dynamics: Understanding China's Varied Approaches to Overseas Corporate Social Responsibility in the Belt and Road Initiative Era

China's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is nowadays a global development initiative, with which China pursues a new international identity as a “responsible major country.” The inadequate fulfilment of corporate social responsibility (CSR) in BRI partner countries however has tainted the BRI's cooperative “win–win” principle and sparked external legitimacy crises. This study explores how Chinese policymakers respond to overseas CSR challenges in the realms of environmental and societal responsibility. By integrating both constructivist and rationalist elements, we employ three key variables to facilitate cross-case comparisons. Our analysis reveals that China has favoured a parallel overseas CSR governance system that allows for tailored responses to specific contexts. China's nuanced approaches to international CSR standards reflect rational decisions influenced by issue-specific domestic–international normative fit, perceived legitimacy of the relevant international regime, and the significance of each issue to China's global status. This research offers insights into China's contextualised engagement with international CSR norms in the BRI era.

Path to sustainable development: The effect of China's innovative industrial clusters pilot policy on prefecture-level cities' green total factor productivity

To enhance industrial production efficiency and promote sustainable social development, the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology announced the innovative industrial clusters pilot (IICP) policy and named three batches of pilot cities in 2013, 2014, and 2017. Whether this significant industrial policy has promoted green total factor productivity (GTFP) is a meaningful but under investigated question in the literature. This study thus explores the above question using a multiperiod spatial difference-in-differences approach and panel data from 273 prefecture-level cities covering 2007–2021. The super slacks based measure and Dagum Gini coefficient are first utilized to assess city-level GTFP and evaluate its spatiotemporal evolutionary features. The intraregional and interregional differences of GTFP reveal expanding trends, with contribution rates to the overall difference above 30%. Benchmark and robustness tests demonstrate promotional direct and spatial spillover effects of the IICP on GTFP. We also employ several additional tests for deeper exploration, determining that a) the direct effect of IICP gradually increases over time, with an evident a time-lag effect, and the positive spatial spillover effect has fluctuated since the policy was enforced; b) the heterogeneity effects of the IICP on GTFP was detected; c) green scientific and technological innovation is an important mechanism of how IICP implementation affects cities' GTFP; and d) the promotional effect of the IICP on GTFP significantly increases when industrial structure upgrading exceeds certain threshold values. The empirical findings of this study not only provide theoretical and practical recommendations for Chinese policymakers to enhance the IICP's policy effect, but also offer suggestions for other emerging markets to develop similar policies for sustainable social development.

Mediating Roles of Perceived Quality and Perceived Behaviour Control in Shaping Chinese Consumer’s Purchase Intention for Domestic Infant Milk Formula (IMF)

The 2008 melamine crisis led to widespread consumer distrust of Chinese domestic infant milk formula (IMF), which was substituted through a surge of imported products. Recent studies, however, suggest a revival in consumer confidence in Chinese domestic products and regulatory supervision. This coincides with a rise in consumer ethnocentrism and increased concern about foreign IMF, which arose during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to investigate the multifaceted factors that influence consumers’ intention to purchase domestic IMF, using a structural equation model based on a survey of 563 online consumers. Our findings challenge conventional thinking that food safety governance, consumer ethnocentrism, and COVID-19 have no significant direct impact on IMF purchase decisions. Instead, consumer purchase intentions are driven more indirectly by mediating factors of perceived product quality and perceived behavioural control. The findings have significant implications for Chinese policymakers and industry stakeholders seeking to rebuild trust and strengthen the market position of domestic IMF in the post-melamine and post-pandemic era. By understanding the nuanced dynamics and consumer preferences in this market, international stakeholders can also develop more effective strategies to navigate and compete in the ever-evolving landscape of the Chinese IMF industry.

Construction of TCM Institution Image: A Corpus-Based Comparative Critical Discourse Study of Chinese and Western Mainstream Media Reports

This study conducts a corpus-assisted comparative analysis of the media images of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) institutions in Chinese and Western media contexts. Applying Fairclough’s three-dimensional critical discourse analysis (CDA) model alongside the TCM Social Image Evaluation Index System, this study explores media image construction and ideological factors shaping the perception of TCM institutions globally through an analysis of linguistic features in keywords, evaluative collocates and modal verbs. It’s found that Chinese media present TCM institutions in a positive light, depicting them as multifaceted organizations with a rich cultural legacy and robust capabilities in medical and scientific research. They showcase TCM institutions as cooperative, promising in integration with modern healthcare, efficient, rapid, flexible, innovative, and imbued with humanitarian values especially during the COVID-19 epidemic. Western media, however, adopt a more cautious stance. They tend to frame TCM institutions as providers of alternative medicine and temporary solutions, with a focus on health preservation, leisure and overall well-being. Concerns have also been raised about the potential illicit activities associated with some massage schools. These disparities in presenting TCM institutions reflect cultural, political and audience demand differences between China and the West. The results of this study contribute to a deeper understanding of the media portrayal of TCM institutions, provide insights into the challenges facing the global recognition and acceptance of TCM institutions, and suggest strategies for Chinese media, TCM practitioners, and policymakers to enhance their international image.

EFL teachers’ perceptions of emotional exhaustion and associated regulation strategies: a phenomenological analysis

ABSTRACT Teaching, particularly in a second/foreign language (L2) context, is an emotionally demanding profession, often leading to negative outcomes for educators. Teaching, particularly in a second/foreign language (L2) context, is an emotionally demanding profession, often leading to negative outcomes for educators. To fill the gap, this phenomenological study examined the causes, consequences, and regulation strategies of Chinese EFL teachers’ emotional exhaustion. A semi-structured interview was held with 58 teachers. The results of thematic analysis revealed that this emotional state had different causes and consequences. The most frequent causes were ‘occupational pressures’, ‘identity conflicts and mismatches’, ‘stressful classroom climate’, ‘high expectations’, and ‘students’ poor performance and cooperation’. Additionally, it was found that teachers’ emotional exhaustion can mostly lead to ‘poor teaching quality’, ‘job burnout’, ‘low work engagement’, ‘low teaching enthusiasm’, and ‘various other negative emotions and outcomes’. To regulate such an aversive feeling, the participants used a range of preventive and responsive strategies before and after its occurrence. The study discusses the findings and presents some conclusions and implications for Chinese L2 teachers, teacher trainers, and policy-makers to raise their understanding of the nature and mechanism of emotional exhaustion in teaching English and its regulation.

Holistic Pragmatism: the Chinese Approach on International Relations

Different geographical environments produce different histories, cultures, civilizations, philosophies, and mentalities, all of which have an enormous impact on their decision-making and foreign policy-making. Thousands of years of social norms and tradition have shaped Chinese people's holistic and pragmatic thinking and approach, determining China's policymakers' objective and overall approach to state governance and international relations. Above all, China, as a civilizational state that has been unified for thousands of years, distinguishes itself from the Western nation-states formed in modern times through continuous wars and peace treaties. Consequently, China has formed different perceptions and interpretations of national and international affairs, and distinct approaches and decision-making processes in terms of inter-state and international interactions and conflict management. By studying various dimensions of Chinese history, culture and philosophy, as well as analyzing its foreign policy-making and active participation in global affairs, this study argues that holistic pragmatism has pervaded China's domestic and foreign policy-making, influencing Chinese policymakers’ decision-making and people's thinking habits. This highlights the necessity to broaden the academic scope of international relations to encompass diverse geographical, cultural and historical perspectives, thereby providing a more comprehensive and profound understanding of international relations in our interconnected world.

The impact of China’s booming tech sector on environmental sustainability: An analysis through comprehensive CS-ARDL approach

China’s rapid technological advancement and the growth of its tech sector have raised concerns about their impact on environmental sustainability. The current analysis aims to contribute to the existing literature by offering a fresh perspective on China’s environmental sustainability, as the existing literature tends to overlook the role of the size of the technological market, which is closely connected with several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)—SDG 7, SDG 9, SDG 11, SDG 12 and SDG 13. China can make significant strides towards achieving these goals by harnessing the potential of the technological market and aligning it with environmental sustainability objectives. This study also investigates the roles of urbanization and economic growth and examines the existence of the inverted N-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis in 31 Chinese provinces from 2004 to 2021. Robust tests are employed to analyse the data, including the Cointegrated Structural Auto Regressive Distributed Lag approach (CS-ARDL) and the Augmented Mean Group(AMG) method. The results indicate that economic growth, urbanization, and the size of the technological market can reduce SO2 emissions, demonstrating a positive environmental impact through China’s inverted N-shaped Environmental Kuznets Curve. Additionally, the Dumitrescu-Hurlin Granger causality test showed evidence of bidirectional causality between the size of the technological market and SO2 emissions. Based on the findings, the study proposes sustainable development policies for China, in line with the SDG targets. In this context, the country’s rapid economic growth and strategies for industrial competitiveness need reassessment. The objective should be to redesign these strategies to increase the proportion of high-tech activities in overall manufacturing and promote the adoption of renewable energy in the country’s total energy consumption. Consequently, Chinese policymakers should prioritize the implementation of regulations that uphold fundamental principles to enhance environmental quality while maintaining rapid economic growth and a competitive advantage in the industrial sector.

Brand Image and Consumer Perceived Values on Purchase Intention of Organic Food: A Conceptual Study

Organic food is quickly developing in China as consumer wealth and consumption levels have grown in recent years; the Chinese government's "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)" promotes a balanced diet and works to raise the standard of agricultural output and food safety. Even though China has Asia's largest organic food market, organic food has a small market share and low consumer expenditure. As a result, decisive steps to boost the growth of China's organic food market are urgently needed. This study aims to explore the factors related to Chinese people’s purchase intention of organic food using the S-O-R model. Brand image and consumer perceived values are crucial because they influence customer purchase behavior. This study emphasizes brand image, perceived functional, emotional and social values on consumer purchase intention. Epistemic value and conditional value were excluded because they have detrimental impacts on consumer choice behavior. The contribution of this study is to enrich the existing literature by providing a deeper understanding of organic food consumer purchase intention in China through the application of brand image and consumer perceived values using the S-O-R model. It also provides Chinese policymakers and organic food suppliers with solutions to increase organic food sales to expand the Chinese organic food market.

Green transportation taxes and environmental sustainability: China experience

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-top: 10pt; text-align: justify;"><span lang="EN-US" style="font-family: 'times new roman', times, serif; font-size: 14pt;">Environmental degradation is becoming a fundamental issue as it is directly associated with human lives and environmental sustainability. This research particularly highlights the significance of green transportation taxes in achieving environmental sustainability due to limited available literature considering the environmental sustainability and green transportation taxes nexus. By employing the newly developed QARDL approach, this study is unfolding the linkages of green transportation taxes on transport-based CO2 emissions for Chinese economy spanning 1992 to 2020. The results infer that green transportation taxes to enhance environmental sustainability in the long-run for the highest quantiles, i.e., 0.70 to 0.95. Though, green transportation taxes enhance environmental sustainability in all quantiles in the short-run. Based on these results, the study suggests that the Chinese government and policymakers should increase green transportation taxes that help in combating CO2 emissions, which ultimately enhances environmental sustainability.</span></p>

Political Economy of STI in China: Analyzing Official Discourse on Science, Technology and Innovation-Driven Development in the Contemporary China

Science, technology, and Innovation (STI) have been the cornerstone of China’s Reform and Opening-up processes. Employing a hybrid methodology, including textual analysis, this paper asserts that four decades of reform and opening-up have witnessed STI’s pivotal role across sectors despite numerous challengesб such as economic slowdown, growing disparities, environmental issues, and a huge burden on the state-owned enterprises. China’s substantial investments in the Fourth Industrial Revolution technologies, including Artificial Intelligence and New Energy Vehicles, exemplify its commitment to innovation, reflected in over 2.5% of GDP allocated for research and development in 2022. This robust investment has bolstered China’s innovative capabilities and brought about its high ranking on the Global Innovation Index. In Chinese STI politics and policy-making, the programs like MLP-2006, SEI-2010 and Made in China 2025 have created a watershed moment. Three central research questions guide our exploration: the trajectory of policy framing on STI-Driven development, the theoretical underpinnings of Innovation-Driven Development and Green Development in Chinese STI politics, and the significance of these paradigms in China’s context. This paper also hypothesizes the emergence of two distinct trajectories within China’s STI politics through the adoption of Innovation-Driven Development and Green Development, positioning STI at the core of China’s development paradigm. The study thoroughly dissects China’s official discourse, framing these paradigms within the Sustainable Development context and highlighting their crucial roles in China’s journey toward technological advancement and sustainability. The analysis of the evolution of China’s STI policy as portrayed in official discourse offers insights into the strategic role played by science, technology, and Innovation in moulding China’s socio-economic trajectory alongside global implications stemming from its transformative development agenda.

The Impact of Financial Support on Household Entrepreneurship in China

Financial support plays a key role in promoting household entrepreneurship in China. This study aims to explore the impact of financial support on household entrepreneurship in China, focusing on the differences between formal and informal financial support. This study combines the use of China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) data with analysis using the Probit model to reveal the relationship between financial support and household entrepreneurship. The results show that financial support has a significant positive impact on household entrepreneurship in China, and the extent of the impact of informal financial support is greater than that of formal financial support. The findings have practical implications for Chinese household entrepreneurs, financial institutions and policy makers. Entrepreneurs can choose the appropriate form of financial support according to their own situation, while financial institutions and the government can consider strengthening financial education and knowledge dissemination, providing entrepreneurial subsidies and support, and offering more flexible financing channels to support the development of family entrepreneurship in China.

Research on spatiotemporal patterns and influencing factors of county-level urban shrinkage in urbanizing China

County-level cities, as small-scale urban units in China's urban system, have shrunk due to uneven urban development in urbanizing China. This research constructed a framework for understanding China's county-level urban shrinkage. It defined county-level cities and measured shrinkage using the city shrinkage model, explored the spatiotemporal patterns combined with shrinking degrees and trajectories, and analysed the shrinking types based on city and city periphery perspectives. Then, the influencing factors were identified via the OLS regression model. Taking 2846 county-level cities as research units, the results showed that 180 and 1050 county-level cities shrunk in 2000–2010 and 2010–2020, respectively. Slight and moderate shrinkage dominated, but the proportions of high and severe shrinkage noticeably increased. In terms of shrinking trajectory, recent shrinkage was the main shrinking type. The spatial extent of shrinking county-level cities increased dynamically; the northeast, north, central and northwest regions were core agglomerations, and the east region emerged as an added agglomeration during 2010–2020. Absolute shrinkage became the main shrinking type significantly driven by "city–city" and "off-site urbanization" migration. Urbanization level, economic development, ageing degree, etc., were factors causing shrinkage. This study contributes to advancing understanding among scholars and Chinese policymakers about county-level urban shrinkage in urbanizing China.

Singapore’s Temasek Model and State Asset Management in China

Since the late 1970s, Singapore has been an important policy reference for China. Some Chinese policymakers viewed Temasek, its government holding company, as a model for state asset management. They studied Singapore’s approach, but ultimately chose a different institutional design when establishing the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) in 2003. China’s engagement with Temasek subsequently concentrated on corporate governance, specifically boards of directors in state-owned enterprises (SOEs). Yet despite the Temasek model’s appeal, its influence in China was limited by the far greater size and indebtedness of the state sector; the weaker role of firm performance in asset and capital allocation; SOEs’ numerous social and welfare functions; lack of willingness to augment firm autonomy; and divergent interpretations of the Temasek model and its reference value. “Policy collage” by Chinese policymakers explains the existence of formal similarities between China and advanced capitalist economies without fundamental convergence in function.

Effects of ICT and Energy Transition on Sustainable Fiscal Growth: Empirical Evidence from China

It is crucial for sustainable growth policies and strategies, which are currently being used internationally, to balance the various aspects of development, including the economic, environmental, and social ones. There is currently broad agreement that energy transition and Information and communication technologies (ICT) offer fresh momentum for long-term sustainable fiscal growth. The main goal of the current research is to study the effects of energy transition and ICT on sustainable fiscal growth in China over 1995-2020 period. To empirically estimate the above mentioned nexus, the recently introduced Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (QARDL) is applied. The study findings for long run indicate that energy transition impacts sustainable fiscal growth negatively over lower qauntiles and at extreme higher quantiles. However, the ICT is found to promote sustainable fiscal growth at all quantiles. The short run dynamics also indicate that current and previous values of ICT and energy transition have significant impact on sustainable fiscal growth. The Wald test of parameter constancy rejects the null hypothesis and shows that non linear and asymmetric impact is present between sustainable fiscal growth and ICT and energy transition in the short run and the long run. Test of Quantile Granger Causality reveals bidirectional causal association between study variables. The study recommends the Chinese government and policy makers to adopt efficient policies to promote ICT use among all the sectors of the economy that can help in achieving sustainable fiscal growth.

Does Digitalization Lead to Environmental Sustainability and Energy Efficiency in China?

In the past 20 years, there has been an increased focus on the connection between investments in digitalization, environment, and economic growth, however the effects of digitalization on energy efficiency in developing nations have received little attention in empirical researches. therefore, the goal of current research is to study the effect of digitalization on environmental sustainability and energy efficiency in China over 1995-2020. For this purpose, two separate models are formulated with energy efficiency and CO2 emissions as dependent variables and digitalization (measured by ICT technologies) as the explanatory variable. The study applies three time series approaches namely, Dynamic Ordinary Least Square (DOLS), Fully Modified Ordinary Least Square (FMOLS), and Canonical Cointegration Regression (CCR) to empirically estimate the study objectives. The study findings show that ICT plays positive role in promoting energy efficiency and environmental sustainability as coefficient of ICT is negative in both models. It was concluded from the findings that ICT sector has positive implications in terms of energy and environment in China. The study recommends the Chinese government and policy makers to pay attention and device effective policies for promotion of ICT sector in the country.

Digital Technologies, Environmental Governance and Environmental Performance: Empirical Evidence from China

This research conducts an empirical analysis of the relationship between digital technologies, environmental governance (assessed through environmental taxes), and China's environmental performance from 1995 to 2020. Additionally, within the framework of the STIRPAT model, the impacts of GDP and urbanization on ecological footprints are examined. This study is distinguished by its innovative approach to evaluating environmental performance via ecological footprints and the application of the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) model along with Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares (DOLS), Canonical Cointegration Regression (CCR), and Fully Modified Ordinary Least Squares (FMOLS) as long-run estimators, methodologies not previously applied to this context in China. The findings indicate that digital technologies and environmental taxes contribute to a reduction in ecological footprints, while GDP and urbanization have an adverse effect, increasing ecological footprints. Post-estimation diagnostics confirm the absence of serial correlation and heteroskedasticity, and affirm the normal distribution of the disturbance terms. For a robustness check, the study further employs DOLS, FMOLS, and CCR methods, which corroborate the initial results regarding the beneficial impact of digital technologies and environmental governance on ecological footprints. Based on these findings, the study advises the Chinese government and policymakers to enact more effective environmental tax policies and leverage digital technologies to enhance environmental sustainability in China.

Towards Achieving Sustainable Development in China: What Role Does Digital Technologies and Green Technologies Play?

There is always discussion about how to use digitalization to promote sustainable development. While one side vehemently defends using ICT to direct and carry out sustainable development, another strongly struggles to highlight its many drawbacks. Similarly, green technologies are also under the limelight for promoting sustainable development since these technologies combine economic growth and environmental conservation. The purpose of the study is to empirically estimate the effect of digital technologies and green technologies in sustainable development in China. Time series data spanning over 1995-2021 period is analyzed using recently introduced Quantile Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model (QARDL). The findings of the study suggest that there exists positive association between digital technologies and sustainable development over (0.05-0.80) quantiles. The significant and positive association exists between green technologies and sustainable development at all quantiles (0.05-0.95). The study also finds positive and negative association of economic growth and urbanization respectively with sustainable development. The study results emphasize the limitations of conclusion of past studies and provide significant contributions by confirming that the associations among variables is quantile-dependent. The Wald test results also disprove the parameter constancy for the Chinese economy and the findings of Quantile Granger Causality prove the presence of bidirectional causal association between digital technologies, green technologies and sustainable development. The study recommends Chinese policy makers and government to adopt relevant policies to promote sustainable development by effectively utilizing digital and green technologies.