International Links Research Articles

Megalopolis unbound: Knowledge collaboration and functional polycentricity within and beyond the Yangtze River Delta Region in China, 2014

Recent work on world city networks, urban polycentricity and megapolitan urban forms share an interest in the economic functionality of inter-city linkages. The intersection of these bodies of literature is in the often overlooked defining features of megalopolitan forms – their being the ‘hub’ that links national to international urban systems and the ‘incubator’ within national urban systems (Gottmann, 1976). With this intersection in mind, this paper measures the functional polycentricity of China’s Yangtze River Delta Region (YRDR) at different geographical scales from an intercity knowledge collaboration perspective. The paper uses data on co-publications as an indicator of knowledge linkages between cities within and beyond this megalopolis. The YRDR can be seen as functionally polycentric at the megapolitan scale but this functional polycentricity decreases with increases in the geographical scale at which interurban linkages are considered. Furthermore, a multi-scalar analysis of functional polycentricity helps identify the hub role of Shanghai. The results show that Shanghai’s knowledge hub role is currently present at the national scale. It may take some time for Shanghai to become a knowledge hub at the global scale given its not-so-strong international links and relatively weak local links. The paper concludes with some suggestions for future research agendas.

Scenario Planning Brexit Referendum – Do Not Put Eggs in One Basket

Brexit referendum will impact sooner or later, since the European economies are massively underperforming and UK is chained to them. This referendum is “advisory”, not “binding”. In case of Brexit scenario the strategy should be UK to diversify its international links. World is an Oyster, UK may strengthen the relationships with Russia, USA, BRICS and alliances with colonial ruled countries. European Union and frameworks couldn’t save financial sector disaster in the past. A new approach must be adopted by liaising with other countries globally.

Indigenous tourism research, past and present: where to from here?

ABSTRACTIndigenous tourism is a global phenomenon, encompassing a range of complex, multi-layered issues. The foci of Indigenous tourism research are multifaceted, reflecting a plethora of stakeholders with differing perspectives and values about the direction, development and sustainability of the sector. The academic literature consistently highlights the need for a more comprehensive understanding of Indigenous tourism and, specifically, one that takes into account the interests and values of its stakeholders. This paper provides a global overview of Indigenous tourism development and its international and national institutional links, concomitantly identifying and examining the trajectory of scholarly interest in Indigenous tourism from 1980 to 2014. An analysis of 403 published journal articles is supplemented with the perspectives of Indigenous tourism researchers. The results reveal that sustainability issues underpin and shape a substantive proportion of published Indigenous tourism research to date. The challenge now is to gain a more comprehensive understanding of Indigenous tourism from the perspective of Indigenous stakeholders, approaching its complexity in an iterative, adaptive and flexible style, and with affected stakeholders involved in the research process, knowledge creation and its outcomes. This is both an ethical imperative and a pragmatic approach to ensure the outcomes of research facilitate the sustainability of Indigenous tourism.

Business connectivity, air transport and the urban hierarchy: A case study in East Asia

This paper explores the effect of business connectivity between cities on their air traffic connections, and in turn on their place in a region's urban hierarchy. Its focus of attention is East Asia, where economic development is underpinned by a complex set of international flows of trade and investment. Business connectivity is a key part of these flows. The research incorporates a measure of business connections in a regression model that previously relied on GDP per head, population and distance to account for international air links. Results confirm that business connectivity is a more important influence on the level of international air links within East Asia, and plays a major role in explaining the changes in city rank over time. The paper concludes with suggestions that possible incorporation of domestic air travel (itself larger than the intra-regional flows in this region) could enrich the insight of this approach.

Preface

The present volume contains the lectures and short talks given at the XXI International School on Nuclear Physics and Applications and International Symposium on Exotic Nuclei (ISEN-2015). The School and the Symposium were held from 6-12 September 2015 in “Club Hotel Bolero” located in ‘Golden Sands’ (Zlatni Pyasaci) Resort on the Black Sea coast, near Varna, Bulgaria. The School and the Symposium were organized by the Institute for Nuclear Research and Nuclear Energy of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and the Flerov Laboratory of Nuclear Reaction if the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (Dubna). The co-organizer of the School was the Bulgarian Nuclear Regulatory Agency.According to a long-standing tradition the School has been held biannually since 1973. The School's program has been restructured according to our enlarged new international links and today it is more similar to an international conference than to a classical nuclear physics school. In 2015, the International Symposium on Exotic Nuclei (ISEN-2015) was scheduled from 8-11 September under the auspices of the School. The Symposium was dedicated to the investigation of nuclei in extreme states and, in particular, at the limits of nuclear stability (from very light neutron- and proton-rich up to superheavy nuclei). This new format attracted many young scientists and students from around the world. We had the pleasure of welcoming more than 60 distinguished scientists as lecturers. Additionally, 20 young colleagues received the opportunity to present a short contribution. In all, 90 participants enjoyed the scientific presentations and discussions as well as the relaxing atmosphere at the beach and during the pleasant evenings.The program of the School and the Symposium ranged from the latest results in fundamental areas such as nuclear structure and reactions to frontier issues of the application of nuclear methods. The main topics were the following:Exotic Nuclei and their PropertiesMethods of production of light exotic nuclei and study of their propertiesSuperheavy elements. Synthesis and propertiesRare processes and decaysRadioactive beams. Production and research programmesEvolution of Shell StructureCollective Modes of the NucleusNuclear AstrophysicsApplications of Exotic Beams in Materials ResearchCurrent and Future FacilitiesSeveral colleagues contributed to the organization of the School and the Symposium. We would like to thank them and especially the Scientific Secretary of the School, Dr. Elena Stefanova, and the members of the Organizing Committee, Dr. Dimitar Tarpanov and Peter Zhivkov, for their cordiality and high-level assistance. We are also grateful to colleagues from the Dubna Institute for their collaboration.Sofia, 20 May 2016 Co-chair persons of the Organizing CommitteeProf. Dr. Sc. Ch. Stoyanov, Prof. Dr. Sc. S. Dimitrova & Prof. Dr. Sc. Yu. Penionzhkevich

Organizational Update: Asia Pacific Stroke Organization.

The burden of stroke on individuals, families, healthcare systems, and societies in Asia is enormous and increasing in relation to rapid sociodemographic and lifestyle changes in a large and diverse range of populations. However, challenges also present opportunities for experts from within and outside Asia to facilitate improvements in population health through advocacy, engagement, training, and the conduct and promotion of evidence-based strategies. With a total population that exceeds 4 billion, over half of the world’s population, increasing numbers of patients are accessing clinical services, technologies, and databases, and clinicians are gaining training, experience, and reliable information on a broad range of aspects of stroke care. Clinical research experience is improving through international links and fellowships, and health professionals from the region are eager to engage (and prove themselves) through participation in high-quality research and clinical practice. The Asia Pacific Stroke Organization (APSO) covers a vast and heterogenous geographical area, with much variability in language, governments, culture, historical links, socioeconomic development, and organization of health services. APSO seeks to improve the standard of stroke care in the whole region by improving communication and cooperation between stroke professionals and organizations in the region and peers in other regions, by means of annual congresses, workshops, and continued medical education. In the past year, we have achieved this through strengthened cooperation with other organizations such as the European Stroke Organization and the Asia-Oceanian Society for Neurorehabilitation and increased participation by nurses and other health professionals and had active consultation with nongovernmental organizations with shared commitments to those affected by stroke. APSO originated from an amalgamation of the Asian Stroke Forum and Asia Pacific Conference Against Stroke. Before September 2009, these organizations held large annual conferences, independently: Asian Stroke Forum, primarily based in Japan, had conferences in Tokyo and Kyoto, in 2005 and 2007, …

On international uncertainty links: BART-based empirical evidence for Canada

We use the indexes of economic policy uncertainty (EPU) developed by Baker et al. (2015) for Canada and seven (China, France, Germany, Japan, Russia, United Kingdom, and United States) other countries to study international uncertainty links by means of a Bayesian Additive Regression Trees (BART) algorithm. Using partial-dependence plots, relative-importance measures, and permutation tests, we shed light on how EPU in Canada is linked to EPU in seven other countries.

New Forms of the Relationship between Politics and Religion

Beginning in the 1960s, new forms of living the faith emerged in Latin America that linked it with a political dimension. The Catholic Church changed its pastoral orientation, and ecclesiastical base communities were established as part of an “option for the poor.” The reflection that accompanied this process was known as liberation theology. By the end of the 1970s these communities were organizing conferences, publications, and theological reflections with strong international links and included hundreds of believers both in the countryside and in the city. During the following two decades, they were active participants in the construction of leftist political alternatives. While a minority pastoral practice today, they continue to hold national gatherings and maintain their international contacts. In-depth interviews with three members of ecclesiastical base communities in a working-class neighborhood in Mexico City show how these individuals have built their socio-religious practice and their religious beliefs. Their experience is part of a global reconstitution of belief systems in Mexico that affects all of the salvation enterprises in their various expressions. A partir de la década de los sesenta, nuevas formas de vivir la fe surgieron en América Latina que las asociaron con una dimensión política. La Iglesia Católica Romana cambió su orientación pastoral, y las comunidades eclesiales de base nacieron como parte de una “opción por los pobres”. Se conocía la reflexión que acompañó a este proceso como teología de liberación. Para finales de los setenta estas comunidades estaban organizando congresos, publicaciones, y reflexiones teológicas con fuertes lazos internacionales, comprendiendo centenares de creyentes tanto en la campiña como en la ciudad. Durante las siguientes dos décadas, fueron participantes activas en la construcción de alternativas políticas de izquierda. Si bien es una práctica pastoral minoritaria hoy en día, continúan convocando reuniones nacionales y mantienen sus contactos internacionales. Entrevistas a fondo con tres miembros de comunidades eclesiales de base en un barrio obrero en la ciudad de México demuestran cómo estos individuos han construido su práctica socio-religiosa y sus creencias religiosas, que implican una comprensión de Dios no como juez sino como aliado. Su experiencia forma parte de una reconstrucción de sistemas de creencias en México que afecta a todas las entidades salvíficas en sus varias expresiones.

Organizational Update

The burden of stroke on individuals, families, healthcare systems, and societies in Asia is enormous and increasing in relation to rapid sociodemographic and lifestyle changes in a large and diverse range of populations. However, challenges also present opportunities for experts from within and outside Asia to facilitate improvements in population health through advocacy, engagement, training, and the conduct and promotion of evidence-based strategies. With a total population that exceeds 4 billion, over half of the world’s population, increasing numbers of patients are accessing clinical services, technologies, and databases, and clinicians are gaining training, experience, and reliable information on a broad range of aspects of stroke care. Clinical research experience is improving through international links and fellowships, and health professionals from the region are eager to engage (and prove themselves) through participation in high-quality research and clinical practice. The Asia Pacific Stroke Organization (APSO) covers a vast and heterogenous geographical area, with much variability in language, governments, culture, historical links, socioeconomic development, and organization of health services. APSO seeks to improve the standard of stroke care in the whole region by improving communication and cooperation between stroke professionals and organizations in the region and peers in other regions, by means of annual congresses, workshops, and continued medical education. In the past year, we have achieved this through strengthened cooperation with other organizations such as the European Stroke Organization and the Asia-Oceanian Society for Neurorehabilitation and increased participation by nurses and other health professionals and had active consultation with nongovernmental organizations with shared commitments to those affected by stroke. APSO originated from an amalgamation of the Asian Stroke Forum and Asia Pacific Conference Against Stroke. Before September 2009, these organizations held large annual conferences, independently: Asian Stroke Forum, primarily based in Japan, had conferences in Tokyo and Kyoto, in 2005 and 2007, …

Systemic effects of international educational and scientific links. Proposals for the development of educational and scientific national system in Georgia

The present paper describes the international educational and scientific links of Georgia. These links promote the development of long-term and close relationship between countries. After the collapse of the Soviet system, Georgia became a transition economy country and the country gained the possibility to widen its educational and scientific links. Reforms are carried out in different directions, including the system of science and education. However, scientific study of the current reforms is presented only as separate evaluations, which, from our point of view, is not sufficient for achieving long-term effective results. By presenting educational and scientific links in the paper jointly, we have developed a model, which shows possible systemic synergistic effects of these links. Such systemic approach is directly connected to the innovative development of the country.

Cross-Border Effects of Car Scrapping Schemes: The Case of the German Car Scrapping Programme and its Effects on the Czech Economy

Many countries decided to launch car scrapping schemes during the 2009 crisis in order to support their car industries and to boost domestic demand. Owing to the existence of significant international trade links in the automotive sector, there is also a strong theoretical foundation for cross-border effects of such scrappage programmes. This paper explores spillovers of the German scheme to the Czech economy on the basis of a close mutual trade link between these two countries and the size of the Czech automotive sector. It is demonstrated that the German programme provided for a significant boost for Czech personal car exports, which were also coupled with increased imports due to large import requirements of the Czech automotive segment. Overall, the contribution of first-round effects of the German car scrapping scheme to the Czech real GDP growth in 2009 is estimated to have reached between 0.4 and 0.5 percentage points.

International Scientific Collaboration Links of Central Eastern European Countries Measured Through Publications

The countries of Central Eastern Europe (CEE) are lagging behind Western-Europe regarding scientific performance in the field of economics. A way to improve the quantity and quality of scientific output is to establish international scientific links with developed countries. The aim of this study is to analyze the international cooperation of Central and Eastern European countries in the field of economics. International scientific collaborations are measured through publications. The analyzed time period is 1996-2014. The used database is Scopus. Using network theory tools, it is shown that researchers from the CEE countries tend to publish more with researchers from Western Europe or the USA, rather than with researchers from the CEE region. It appears that geographical distance does not play a significant role in choosing international scientific collaboration partners. Policy decision makers should focus more on supporting and promoting research and educational mobility as these can help the CEE countries in the scientific catching-up process.

Medina in Birmingham; Najaf in Brent

Medina in Birmingham; Najaf in Brent: Inside British Islam by Innes Bowenseeks to explain to a mainly non-Muslim readership the complexities and nuancesof different Muslim groups that have come to live in Britain since the1950s. The book aims to be “a guide to the ideological differences, organisationalstructures and international links of the main Islamic groups active inBritain today” needed in order partly to counter the perception that Muslimsform one homogenous mass. It follows in the tradition of ethnographic worksbegun in the colonial period, that were produced in order to inform the BritishGovernment about the thinking and culture of those under its administrationand, more importantly, about whether they were planning any uprisings orposed any threat. An example of this approach can be seen in Bowen’s assurancesthat the Twelver Shi‘a living in Britain do not unequivocally supportIran:The most striking feature of Britain’s Shia community is the lack of influencethat the Islamic Republic of Iran exerts over it, despite all of its resources.[…] The fact that Najaf school secularism has triumphed over Tehran’s Islamismwill be something of a relief to [the] British government. (p. 162)Bowen also remarks on how little Britain’s police force know about the Muslimgroups with which they have co-operated: ...

Hyderabad, British India, and the World: Muslim networks and minor sovereignty, c. 1850–1950 by Eric Beverley

Reviewed by: Hyderabad, British India, and the World: Muslim networks and minor sovereignty, c. 1850–1950 by Eric Beverley Rama Sundari Mantena Hyderabad, British India, and the World: Muslim networks and minor sovereignty, c. 1850–1950 By Eric Beverley. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2015. Eric Beverley’s Hyderabad, British India, and the World: Muslim networks and minor sovereignty, c. 1850–1950 on the Princely State of Hyderabad at the turn of the twentieth century explores the worldly connections of a unique polity: one enclosed by the territories of British India and thus virtually limiting its territorial connections unless carefully mediated and negotiated through the British Empire. Hyderabad was one of several hundred princely states that remained autonomous enjoying varying levels of sovereignty until 1947 when British India gained independence from colonial rule. Precisely what the nature of Hyderabad’s sovereignty was forms the subject of Beverley’s research. Beverley proposes that Hyderabad was able to break free of this constraining relationship with British India by forging what he calls “Muslim internationalism” globally through a dynamic Muslim public sphere (49). Beverley further suggests that Hyderabad managed to forge international links through Muslim networks (transnational, pan-Islamist, Muslim internationalist) and with other “sub-imperial” polities. However, Beverley suggests that scholars of Hyderabad have obscured Hyderabad’s global presence by paying exclusive attention to British India and its historical trajectories as the outer perimeter of Hyderabad’s relations. This myopic view of Hyderabad limits our understanding of Hyderabad’s internal dynamics and its connections with the world outside. Beverley argues that because of its “minor” sovereignty, Hyderabad as a state managed to maintain a degree of autonomy which led to political experimentation (43). The book begins with two introductory chapters on the idea of sovereignty and minor sovereignty. Then the chapters are divided into three sections with two chapters each on “Ideas,” “Institutions,” and “Urban Space.” “Ideas” contains two chapters on the difference of Hyderabad and its cultivation of “Muslimness” and its self-representation as a modern progressive state. The second section moves to the everyday, to the workings of governance on the borderlands or frontiers of the state in its relations with the British Raj. The third moves to the theme of urbanism—specifically colonial urbanism—and how it impacted urban development in Hyderabad. All chapters cover overlapping themes of political experimentation and worldly connections that Hyderabad was able to foster and sustain until its forced incorporation within the Indian Union in 1948. With regard to the theme of political experimentation, Beverley notes: “Though thwarted by European world empires, smaller sovereign states that were not colonized provided fertile ground for refashioning political concepts and institutions in dialogue with other global examples as well as local and regional histories” (30). It is a suggestive thesis in the idea that Hyderabad provided dynamic political conditions that gave rise to alternative concepts and institutions for the political future of the region. It is an argument full of possibilities and one that needs to be made. However, this statement is made often without the author illustrating the global links that refashioned political concepts. What are these political concepts circulating in the transnational Muslim public sphere? Did political experimentation include both constitutional monarchy and representative governing bodies? How were they negotiated in the global public sphere? While the idea of experimentation is fascinating, one would like to know what social structures specific to Hyderabad allowed for political experimentation. For instance, pan-Islamism existed in British India. While it is true that British India had greater surveillance of its colonial subjects, it nevertheless did not put a stop to the expansion of political discourse (in the English and vernacular public spheres). Beverley also suggests that political experimentation was able to give rise to counter-colonial and anti-colonial geographies of power (50). This frames his discussion of pan-Islamism and “Muslim internationalism” that linked Hyderabad with global Islam or a wider Islamicate world. Another fascinating discussion Beverley explores is the bureaucratic-intellectual in Hyderabad. The question that lingers is whether outside of a racialized hierarchical structure of colonial power in British India these figures were able to function differently. Were they able to forge different moral relations with...

Brain Drain in Private Universities in Kenya: Seeking for an Innovative Solution

The problem of brain drain is a worldwide phenomenon that has been and is still being experienced by most institutions of higher learning both in the developed and developing world. This study, therefore, earmarked at finding out the causes, effects and possible innovative solutions toward retaining skilled lecturers in institutions of higher learning. This research was carried out using a descriptive survey design. Data was collected from all lecturers at University of Eastern Africa, Baraton using questionnaires on a 5 point rating Likert scale of Strongly Agree, SA=5, Agree, A=4, Uncertain, UC=3, Disagree, DA=4, Strongly Disagree, SD=1. The questionnaire was validated by experts in the Education Department at UEAB. The researchers administered the instruments. Data was analyzed using SPSS. Findings exposed low basic salary, poor administration, political instability and absence of study opportunities as major causes of brain drain. Respondents also strongly agreed that the receiving university benefit immensely in terms of: expansion of the pool of skilled lecturers; contribution to the quality of education; boosting morale of lecturers and enhancing popularity of the university. Major solutions to brain drain were improved remunerations, effective administration, stable working environment, attractive employment opportunities, national and international links promotion, opportunities for further academic developments and fair promotion procedures. Findings also showed that if these solutions are implemented at a university, such a university will be able to retain its lecturers.Key words: brain drain; private universities; higher education; pulling factors; pushing factors; innovation.

Renovation of HEPnet-J for near-future experiments

Originally HEPnet-J had only one instance that is connected to Internet as the network connectivity by campus network of institutes in Japan was very limited, so the main purpose of HEPnet-J was providing enough connectivity for interactive use on domestic and international links funded by KEK. In last 10 years, the domestic and international connectivity provided by NRENs have been dramatically improved and they are enough for manual transfer of typical skimmed data files. Therefore, HEPnet-J has many closed networks that connect domestic sites related to specific projects, in order to access them on computer farms in private networks in their home institutes. The rapid growth of data volume makes it unable to apply same model to new generation experiments. As the tier structure for LHC computing sites has proved that the distributed computing model over collaboration sites is really applicable to the huge scale experiment, the external connectivity for international collaboration sites should be faster and secure. For example, the Belle II experiment in KEK will have many repositories in U.S. and EU. The expected throughput from KEK to U.S. is about 20 Gbps, thus it need the bypass of slow security devices like a firewall. Now bypass lines for Belle II are prepared and under tasting. This article reports the brief history of HEPnet- J and recent changes for project-specific networks.

The transnational factor: The beginnings of South Africa’s women’s movement

The South African women’s movement had its origins in the Cape, but it also had a strong transnational relationship with countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States. The earliest formally created women’s organisation in the country, the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), established in 1889, focused on forging a pure society that was liberated from the so-called constraints and perils of liquor. By 1892, the WCTU had formed a franchise department in response to the absence of female enfranchisement in the Cape, therefore promoting women’s national and international suffrage. The WCTU encouraged the establishment of other women’s organisations such as the Women’s Enfranchisement League (WEL) in 1907, which was solely dedicated to the promotion and creation of women’s suffrage. This article aims to understand the international links of the WCTU and WEL as the first two women’s organisations in the Cape Colony. It does so through the framework of transnationalism and also considers the transnational influence on further developments in South Africa’s women’s movement during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

Multilingualism and international tourism: a content- and discourse-based approach to language-related judgments in web 2.0 hotel reviews

ABSTRACTThis corpus-based study examines whether and how German-, French- and Spanish-speaking tourists refer to language experiences when they write an online hotel review (specifically of hotels situated in Dutch-speaking Flanders, Belgium). We find that language is indeed an issue in hotel reviews, but to varying degrees according to the language group of the tourists. French and especially Spanish-speaking tourists refer far more frequently to language experiences, and in particular to the use of their mother tongue, than German-speaking tourists. According to the ‘face model of language choice’, this means that French- and Spanish-speaking tourists emphasize more explicitly their ‘ethnolinguistic face’ than German-speaking tourists. Also, the positive–negative polarity of the judgments differs, with Spanish-speaking tourists at the most positive pole, and French-speaking tourists at the most negative pole. Furthermore, the data also reveal that the use of the mother tongue of the tourist and the use of an international link language (by default, English) are functionally different options, and that the use of English even may lead to face-threatening situations. By comparing the data with staff-related judgments and hotel ratings, it is shown that language plays a specific and independent role in the hotel reviews.

Evaluation of high-standard public transport centres in the Slovak Republic

Abstract Despite of increasing volumes of individual passenger transport and growing dependence of the post-socialist societies on the passenger car, public transport is still inevitable for certain communities. Its social and environmental aspects are obvious reasons why public transport remains within the scope of state and regional policies as a mixture of public and commercial services. Long-distance and international overground public transport represents a higher standard of travelling of considerably commercial nature. An important feature of this segment of the public transport is its capability to compete with individual transportation for long-distance journeys. The commercial character of the long-distance public transport should motivate operators to run territorially effective links covering adequately populated communites and regions with high demand for this segment of public-transport services. This study deals with several territorial aspects of the network of long-distance and international bus and train links of public transport in the Slovak Republic. The network of communities having direct access to the high-standard modes of public transport has been identified, revealing some of their spatial patterns and focusing on categorization of urban settlements by selected parameters of high-standard public transport services. The relationship with the population size of the urban settlements is assessed in the study, too.

Geographical variation and correlates of tobacco smoking, second-hand smoke exposure, workplace tobacco prohibition, and pro-tobacco and counter-tobacco advertising in mainland China: a cross-sectional study of 98 058 participants

BackgroundWith more than 300 million people directly affected by tobacco smoking and an additional 740 million non-smokers affected by second-hand smoke, new insights are needed to inform more aggressive and effective tobacco prevention and control policy in China. MethodsChloropleth maps and multilevel logistic regression was used to assess geographical variation in data on tobacco smoking, exposure to second-hand smoke, the prominence of tobacco advertising and promotion, counter-advertising and regulatory responses for 98 058 participants spread across 161 Disease Surveillance Points (DSPs) and in all 31 provinces of China in 2010. The data and study was approved by the ethics committee of the China Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Findings98 058 people participated in the survey. Current tobacco smoking was markedly different between men (54% [95% CI 52·6–54·9%]) and women (3% [3·0–3·8%]). Workplace tobacco prohibition was highest among provinces in the north and east parts of China, whereas smoking in public places was more common in the west, central, and far northeast parts of China. Men (19% [17·7–19·4%]) were more likely to notice pro-tobacco advertising in public places than women (13% [12·4–13·8%]). Awareness of pro-tobacco advertising was highest in Tibet and in southern China. Men (36% [34·4%–36·6%]) were also slightly more likely to notice counter-tobacco advertising in public places than women (30% [29·1–31·1%]). After adjusting for confounders, substantial geographic variation in all of the outcome variables remained unexplained. Awareness of workplace tobacco prohibition was more common in the most affluent urban areas. Awareness of workplace tobacco prohibition was weakest in the least affluent urban and rural areas. Sightings of tobacco smoking in public places was especially high in restaurants (80% for men, 75% for women) and tended to be more commonly reported in the least affluent urban and rural areas. Exposure to passive smoking was lowest among women where workplace tobacco prohibition was more common and in areas where smoking in public places was sighted more often. InterpretationGeographical targeting is required to ensure that prevention and control of tobacco is optimised in China, particularly within the least affluent communities. FundingAustralian-China Science and Research Fund. XF is supported by a UIC International Links Scheme. TAB is supported by a National Heart Foundation of Australia Postdoctoral Fellowship (#100161).