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Dear Friends,
The Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) maintained its regular activities related to disseminating informed analysis and generating debates and discussions covering a gamut of themes related to China and East Asia.
EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES
The ICS conducted a total of ten events in April and May 2023: two Panel Discussions, seven Seminars, and one Delegation Visit.
MAY
On 3 May 2023, a panel discussion was organised on The May Fourth Movement: Discourse and Narratives. The speakers for the session were Dr. Prashant Kaushik, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Chinese Studies, Central University of Gujarat, Gandhinagar; Prof. Christian Uhl, Professor, Japanese Studies, Department of Languages and Cultures, Ghent University, Belgium; and, Dr. Natasha Nongbri, Associate Professor, Department of History, Janki Devi Memorial College, University of Delhi. Largely drawn from China's May Fourth Movement: New Narratives and Perspectives, edited by Prof. Sabaree Mitra and recently published by Routledge, the seminar aimed at analysing the various facets of the Movement, including the development of the May Fourth Spirit, Lu Xun’s contributions and its impact on the Indian public sphere. The discussion was moderated by Prof. Sabaree Mitra, Chairperson and Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Honorary Fellow at the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. (YouTube)
The first seminar of the month was conducted on 10 May 2023, on China’s Securitisation of Political Questions and Foreign Policy: Navigating Complexities. Mr. Dokku Nagamalleswara Rao, Research Assistant, Centre for Land Warfare Studies, New Delhi, and Doctoral Fellow, Shandong University, People’s Republic of China, featured as the speaker for this session. The seminar focused on examining the manner in which China navigates the complexities of historical claims and security concerns through a range of measures such as Political Settlement, Domestication, National Integration, Balancing Local Political and Economic Culture, and Social Governance. In the pursuit of the same, the talk brought out an alternative understanding of China’s securitisation strategy in navigating the aforementioned complexities. The session was chaired by Mr. Manoj Kewalramani, Chairperson, Indo-Pacific Research Programme, and China Studies Fellow, The Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru. (YouTube)
The Institute conducted its second seminar on 17 May 2023 on China’s Overextension in South Asia. The speaker for this session was Mr. Shantanu Roy-Chaudhury, Research Associate, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. His talk explored China’s strategic interests in South Asia with a focus on Pakistan, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The seminar aimed to examine the drivers of China’s foreign policy with regard to the three countries, while also highlighting the obstacles and apprehensions Beijing faces in its bilateral relations with them. Further, the speaker argued China has transitioned from following a non-interference approach to South Asia to a more overt role. The session was chaired by Mr. Ashok K. Kantha, former Ambassador of India to China, and Honorary Fellow and former Director, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. (YouTube)
On 24 May 2023, a seminar was conducted on Transportation History and the Circulation of Chinese Convict Workers and Plants to the Nilgiris (Mid-19th Century). The speaker for this session was Dr. Joe Thomas Karackattu, Associate Professor, Humanities and Social Sciences Department, Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras. The talk was based on the speaker’s latest non-fiction film, Those 4 Years. Acknowledging that the Nilgiris have gained the distinction of being a geographic indication for tea, today, the talk explored the remote connection with the Chinese that has remained forgotten. The film assesses their contributions to plantations, and locates places and sites associated with their earliest arrival and stay, and manages to locate some of the descendants of those Chinese who arrived in India over 150 years ago. The same was discussed during the session. The chair for the session was Mr. Ravi Bhoothalingam, Founder and Chairman of Manas Advisory, and Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi.
On 30 May 2023, a Delegation Visit was organised at the Institute. Delegates from the Institute of Chinese Communist Studies (ICCS), Taipei, visited the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. The ICCS delegation was headed by Chen Wan Shun, Director, ICCS, and included Yu Li Ching, ICCS Consultant; Jhuang Bo Siang, ICCS Researcher; Wang Ying Ching, ICCS Researcher; and, Tsai Hsin Yi, ICCS Researcher. The ICS delegation was led by Prof. Alka Acharya, Honorary Director, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; Chairperson and Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and included senior Fellows and researchers from the ICS. The discussion centred on aspects of common interest in China Studies. Furthermore, prospects of future academic collaboration were also discussed.
The final seminar of the month was held on 31 May 2023, on the Impact of Gender in China’s Soft Power Engagement in the Global South. The speaker for this session was Prof. Govind Kelkar, Visiting Professor, Council for Social Development and Institute for Human Development, India; Executive Director, GenDev Centre for Research and Innovation, India; and, Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. The talk presented an analysis of China’s soft power engagement with the global south, and explored the policies and practices of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Prof. Kelkar argued that the question of gender equality and women’s empowerment have been missing throughout the development of soft power mechanisms or instrumentalities.The session was chaired by Prof. Patricia Uberoi, Emeritus Fellow and former Chairperson, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. (YouTube)
APRIL
On 5 April 2023, the Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, organised a seminar on Epidemic Control, Social Control: The Rise of an Emergency Disciplinary State in Mao’s China. The speaker for the session was Dr. Fang Xiaoping, Associate Professor, Chinese Studies, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Australia. The session focused on examining the intricacies of, and the relationships between epidemic control and social control during the global cholera pandemic that plagued the southeastern coastal areas of Mao’s China between 1961 and 1965. Prof. Rama V. Baru, Professor, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, chaired the session. (YouTube)
The second seminar of the month was organised on 12 April 2023, on China and the Saudi Arabia-Iran Diplomatic Rapprochement. The speaker for the session was Dr. Andrea Ghiselli, Assistant Professor, School of International Relations and Public Affairs, Fudan University, Shanghai. His talk placed in perspective the resumption of diplomatic relations between Saudi-Arabia and Iran in March 2023; a deal brokered by China. It aimed to assess the potential of this deal to transform the Middle East politics by realigning its major powers, and replacing the current Arab-Iranian divide with a complex web of relationships, weaving the region into China’s global ambitions. The session featured Mr. Atul Aneja, Editor, India Narrative, in conversation with Dr. Andrea Ghiselli. (YouTube)
A panel discussion was organised on 19 April 2023, on Lianghui 2023: China’s Two Sessions. The speakers for the session were Dr. Rajiv Ranjan, Assistant Professor, Chinese Studies, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi, and Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; and, Dr. Bhim B. Subba, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Hyderabad, and Visiting Associate Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. The discussion focused on the ‘two sessions’, or lianghui, of the Chinese National People’s Congress and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, where assessments of work reports, and deliberations on policy documents took place. The most important feature, however, was the ushering in of Xi Jinping’s third tenure as the state president, and the speakers added valuable insights, as well as a sound and comprehensive analysis of the same. Dr. Ritu Agarwal, Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, was both speaker and moderator of the session. (YouTube)
On 26 April 2023, a seminar was conducted on Rethinking the ‘Southern Urban’ via a Tongbian Framing of Land’s Property Relations and Territory: Mumbai’s Malad and Hong Kong’s Kowloon. The session featured two eminent scholars as speakers, Dr. Solomon Benjamin, Associate Professor, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology, Madras; and, Prof. Wing-shing Tang, Former Professor, Department of Geography, and Research Fellow, Advanced Institute for Contemporary China Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, China.
Dr. Benjamin and Prof. Tang discussed their co-authored work with Rupali Gupte and Prasad Shetty titled, Land’s Mutual Embeddedness in Property Relations & and Territory. The scholars utilised a Tongbian framing as it allowed for a serious consideration of the ‘thickness’ of property with overlaid ‘situated histories’ representing entangled and fluid relationships, and provided a fresh perspective on the subject at hand. The session was chaired by Dr. Ritu Agarwal, Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. (YouTube)
PUBLICATIONS
B.R. Deepak, Professor, Centre for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies, School of Language, Literature and Culture Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, wrote an ICS Occasional Paper on China in Xi’s “New Era”: Denouncing the Era of “Crossing the River by Feeling the Stones”, which was published in May 2023.
Cherry Hitkari, Research Intern, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, wrote on Shenme shi Zhongguo meng? (什么是中国梦?): Memory, Foreglimpse and Propaganda in the Chinese Dream, which was published as an ICS Occasional Paper in April 2023.
Ishita Mathur, an independent scholar, wrote on Confucian Social Legitimacy: A Gendered Approach to Concepts of Filial Piety and the Order Of Patriarchal Principles, which was published as an ICS Working Paper in April 2023.
Subhadip Mondal, Research Assistant, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, wrote an ICS Research Blog, on India China Discord: 6G, ICT & G20, which was published in April 2023.
FACULTY UPDATE
MAY
Nandkumar Janardhanan, Assistant Professor, Energy Studies Programme, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, participated in a webinar titled, “Can Japan and India Partner on Critical Minerals for the EV Ecosystem?” at the Japan India E.V. Investment Roundtable, on 18 May 2023.
Rityusha Mani Tiwary, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi; Assistant Editor, China Report; and, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, participated as an Expert Speaker, speaking on “India’s Population Growth”, Global Business Program, China Global TV Network on, 3 May 2023.
APRIL
Alka Acharya, Honorary Director, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; Chairperson and Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, participated in a Track-1.5 International Workshop on “India-China in South and South-East Asia”, organised by the IISS-NESA in Singapore, on 26-27 April 2023.
Anand P. Krishnan, Visiting Associate Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, presented on “Mainstreaming the Dynamics of Labour: Taiwanese Suppliers connecting China and India”, at the Panel on Taiwan and the Global Supply Chains, in the International Conference on The Politics of Taiwan’s Development: Mapping Transformations and Continuity, organised by the Department of International Relations and Governance Studies, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi National Capital Region, and the Taiwan Economic and Cultural Center, New Delhi, on 12 April 2023. He also delivered a lecture on “Issues of Demography, Migration and Urbanisation in China: Connecting the Dots through Labour”, as part of the Lecture Series on Contemporary China, organised by Somaiya Vidyavihar University, Mumbai, on 21 April 2023.
Govind Kelkar, Visiting Professor, Council for Social Development and Institute for Human Development, India, and Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, is currently engaged in an ongoing project titled, “An Analytical Framework on the Gender Impact in China’s Soft Power Engagement in the Global South”, with Ritu Agarwal, Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, for Development Alternatives with Women for a New Era (DAWN).
Rityusha Mani Tiwary, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi; Assistant Editor, China Report; and, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, participated as an Expert Speaker, speaking on “SCO Defence Ministers Meet”, at Asia Today, China Global TV Network, on 28 April 2023
Sandip Mishra, Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Honorary Fellow at Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, spoke in Session 1 titled, “The Importance of India in South Korea’s New Indo-pacific Policy”, at India, Korea in the Emerging Dynamics of the Indo-Pacific, organised by the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), New Delhi, on 20-21 April 2023.
MEDIA UPDATE
MAY
Anand P. Krishnan, Visiting Associate Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, penned an article on In ‘India as Eden’ Offer, the Apple of Diluted Labour Laws for The Hindu, on 3 May 2023.
Hemant Adlakha, Vice-Chairperson, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, and Associate Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, spoke on China's Quest for Huayuquan in a podcast titled, “Talking China with Cherry Hitkari”, on 8 May 2023. He also wrote an article on As G7 Leaders Want Beijing to Abide by “International Rules”, China Wants West to Abandon G7 for the Institute for Security & Development Policy, Stockholm/Washington, on 22 May 2023.
Jabin T. Jacob, Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies; Director, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences,Shiv Nadar University, India, and Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, wrote an article on India’s Inaction is Encouraging China’s Bad Behaviour for the Deccan Herald, on 4 May 2023. He delivered a lecture on Tibet in the “New Era”: The CPC’s Quest for Greater Control, as part of the The Tibet Awareness Talk Series, at the Tibet Museum, McLeodganj, Dharamshala, Himachal Pradesh, on 23 May 2023. He was also interviewed, along with Constantino Xavier of the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), New Delhi, on India-China Rivalry Not Episodic or Contextual but Structural by Aditi Phadnis for The Business Standard, on 29 May 2023.
Kishan S. Rana, former Indian Ambassador/ High Commissioner to Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Kenya, Mauritius and Germany; Professor Emeritus of DiploFoundation, Malta and Geneva and Emeritus Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, wrote on Gender Equality in Diplomacy: Chinese and Other Foreign Ministries for the DiploFoundation, on 21 May 2023.
Sandip Mishra, Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Honorary Fellow at Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, penned a piece on the Significance of Washington Declaration for The Times of India, on 3 May 2023. He also wrote on South Korea-Japan Rapprochement: A Net Positive for Bilateral Relations and Regional Stability for the East Asia Compass, Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, New Delhi, on 5 May 2023.
APRIL
Anand P. Krishnan, Visiting Associate Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, co-authored an article with Jabin T. Jacob titled, യുദ്ധം അവസാനിക്കാൻ ഒരിക്കലും ആഗ്രഹിക്കില്ല; കൊതിക്കണ്ണോടെ ചൈന: ഇന്ത്യയ്ക്ക് അസ്വസ്ഥത (Never Wishes to End the War; Greedy Eyed China; Discomfort for India) for Malayala Manorama, on 3 April 2023.
Hemant Adlakha, Vice-Chairperson, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, and Associate Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, wrote on Ghost of Kong Yiji Returns to Haunt China After 100 Years: Who he is and Why he is Back for The Indian Express, on 21 April 2023.
Jabin T. Jacob, Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies; Director, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences,Shiv Nadar University, India, and Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, authored two articles in the month of April titled, India’s Tepid Response to China’s Renaming in Arunachal Pradesh Ignores Larger Consequences for the Deccan Herald, on 12 April 2023, and Border Management More than Just Domestic Politics for The New Indian Express, on 18 April 2023.
Kishan S. Rana, former Indian Ambassador/ High Commissioner to Algeria, Czechoslovakia, Kenya, Mauritius and Germany; Professor Emeritus of DiploFoundation, Malta and Geneva and Emeritus Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, penned a piece on A New Non-Alignment? for the DiploFoundation, on 20 April 2023.
Nandkumar Janardhanan, Assistant Professor, Energy Studies Programme, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Adjunct Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, co-authored a policy brief tilted, Critical Minerals for Net-Zero Transition: How the G7 can Address Supply Chain Challenges and Socioenvironmental Spillover for the Asian Development Bank Institute, on 15 April 2023.
Rityusha Mani Tiwary, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi; Assistant Editor, China Report; and, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, spoke on Women in Security at an iPodcast organised by the Department of Political Science, Shaheed Bhagat Singh College, University of Delhi, on 26 April 2023.
Sandip Mishra, Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Honorary Fellow at Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, wrote on Costs of Contesting China for The Korea Times, on 27 April 2023.
Shantanu Roy-Chaudhury, Research Associate, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, penned an article on The Ukraine War and an Emboldened China on the LAC, for The Diplomat, on 15 April 2023.
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Compiled by:
Akshat Mayne
Research Intern
Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi
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