Jun-2023

JUNE | JULY 2023

ICS Update

DEAR FRIENDS,

The Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) maintained its regular activities related to disseminating informed analyses and generating debates and discussions covering a gamut of themes related to China and East Asia

The Internship programme continues to attract fresh talent, and we receive a large number of applications. The ICS is now a popular, dynamic and interactive place for young and aspiring scholars interested in Chinese and East Asian Studies.

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

The ICS conducted a total of eight Seminars in June and July 2023.

JULY

On 5 July 2023, the Institute conducted a seminar on Chinese Wisdom’ on Offer: Xi Jinping’s Three Global Initiatives. This session was the second in the ICS series on China’s three global initiatives. The speaker was Dr. Prashant Kumar Singh, Research Fellow and Centre Coordinator, East Asia Centre, Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (MP-IDSA), New Delhi. The three initiatives, namely the Global Development Initiative (GDI), the Global Security Initiative (GSI), and the Global Civilization Initiative (GCI), were viewed as important indicators towards understanding the ‘Chinese Wisdom’ that the PRC appears to beoffering to the international community. Within the context of Chinese foreign policy discourse, the speaker examined their ideas and contours as also the limitations, and the challenges that they may pose to other countries. The session was chaired by Dr. Jabin T. Jacob, Director, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies; Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR; and, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. (YouTube)

The second seminar of the month was conducted on 12 July 2023, titled The Sino-Indian Border Simmers from a Decade of Confrontation. The session featured Col. Ajai Shukla (Retd.), a journalist with the Business Standard, as the speaker. The seminar focused on the significance of the Sino-Indian border situation, in the wake of the 2020 skirmishes. The speaker discussed the emerging correlation between India’s evolving foreign policy and its military actions along the border. The discussion brought up the importance of active engagement along the borderand raised several key aspects pertaining to Sino-Indian relations, especially in the context of the border situation. The session was chaired by Prof. Alka Acharya, Honorary Director, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, and Chairperson, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. (YouTube)

The third seminar of the month was held on 19 July 2023, titled Cooperate, Compete, Challenge, Compromise, and Convince: A US Policy towards China. The speaker for the session was Dr. Amit Gupta, Senior Advisor, Forum of Federations, Ottawa, Canada. The seminar delved into the intricacies of U.S.-China relations, tracing the various developments within its ambit in the years since the end of the Obama administration. The speaker assessed these developments, ranging from the tariff war to the strain in relations caused due to 5G, and looked at a potential war between the U.S. and China over Taiwan. The seminar was chaired by Dr. Hemant Adlakha, Vice-Chairperson and Honorary Fellow Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, and Associate Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. (YouTube)

The final seminar of the month was organised on 26 July 2023, on Changing Profiles: Leadership in the Tibet Autonomous Region in the ‘New Era’. The speaker for the session was Dr. Devendra Kumar, Associate Fellow, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Shiv Nadar Institution of Eminence, Delhi-NCR. The seminar mapped the changes and continuities in leadership in the Tibet Autonomous Region (T.A.R.) since 2012, when Xi Jinping assumed the office of General Secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) and examined the significance of cadre management and official appointments as a component of China’s Tibet policy. The speaker also looked at how ethnic Tibetan representation has decreased over the years and noted the CPC’s emphasis on Tibet as a multi-ethnic province. The session was chaired by Dr. Bhim B. Subba, Visiting Associate Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; and, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Hyderabad, Telangana. (YouTube)

JUNE

Dr. Barnali Chanda, Visiting Research Associate, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, and China Studies Post Doctoral Research Fellow at Ashoka University, Sonepat presented the first seminar of June on the 7th, titled, Understanding the ‘Strange’: Knowledge of Emotions and Cognizance in Early Chinese and Indic Traditions. She argued that the concept of ‘strange’ isnot merely a common and over-used category in the Chinese and Indic philosophical traditions, but refers to a kind of knowledge production that relates to the systems beyond those socially and historically accepted parameters. This discussion also served to search for an appropriate method, as well as a theoretical base for its further elucidation. The session was chaired 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)

On 14 June 2023, the second seminar of the month was held on Binding the Deities - Tibetan Buddhism, Reincarnation and the Chinese Communist Party. The session featured Dr. Jigme Yeshe Lama, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Calcutta, Kolkata, as the speaker. The discussion delved into the interactions between the communist state of China and Tibetan Buddhism. The focus was on the issue of reincarnation of tulkus or rinpoches, who are hierarchs in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Another aspect that was explored included the different modes of interaction between the Tibetan Buddhist elites and the CCP. While a greater part of this contact between them is described as conflict, the presentation highlighted moments of cooperation and co-option. The session was chaired by Dr. Swargajyoti Gohain, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Ashoka University, Sonepat. (YouTube)

The third seminar of the month was organised on 21 June 2023, on Visualising Socialist Realism in Xuānchuán huà (1949-76). The speaker for the session was Ms. Sugandha Tandon, Doctoral Candidate, Jawaharlal Nehru University, and Research Assistant, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi. The seminar focused on the artworks produced during the Mao era, which have invariably been regarded as propaganda, resulting in a complete condensation of the artist's position, accompanying practices or institutional spaces. The talk drew upon her ongoing research, seeking to fill that lacuna by providing a constellation of the given period’s diverse social, cultural, and aesthetic assemblage. The presentation also examined the transition of Chinese art style from “importism” to developing its own unique vocabulary, revealing the departures from earlier Soviet influences to a more contextual language specific to China. The seminar was chaired by Prof. Shukla Sawant, visual artist; and, Professor of Visual Studies, School of Arts and Aesthetics, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. (YouTube)

The Institute conducted the final seminar of the month on 28 June 2023, on What to Expect from China’s Global Security Initiative? This seminar was the second in the ICS series on China’s recent global initiatives. The speaker for the session was Mr. Manoj Kewalramani, Chairperson, and Fellow, China Studies, Indo-Pacific Studies Programme, Takshashila Institution, Bengaluru; and non-resident Senior Associate with the Freeman Chair in China Studies, Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington D.C. The speaker highlighted the significance of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s new Global Security Initiative (GSI), launched in April 2022, and the Concept Paper released by the Chinese government in March 2023, which outlined the GSI’s six principles. The discussion was based on the speaker’s research on the evolution of the GSI and its implications for Indian interests. The seminar was chaired by Lt. Gen. S.L. Narasimhan, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS), New Delhi; and, Emeritus Faculty, Rashtriya Raksha University, Gandhinagar. (YouTube)

PUBLICATIONS

Hemant Adlakha, Vice-Chairperson and Honorary Fellow Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; and, Associate Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, wrote on Bipartisan Political Brinkmanship Leaves U.S. Debt Crisis on Ventilator for Two Years Experts say it’s “Advantage our Enemies”, which was published as an ICS Analysis in July 2023. Read here

Snigdha Konar, Research Assistant, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, wrote on Increasing Bride Price in China: An Unresolved Agenda, which was published as an ICS Analysis in July 2023. Read here

Yamini Meena, Research Intern, Association of Asia Scholars, New Delhi; and, former Research Intern, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, wrote on Grey Statues with Red Bibs: Exploring the Cultural and Religious Dynamics of Mizuko Kuyo (水子供養), which was published as an ICS Occasional Paper in July 2023. Read here

Sugandha Tandon, Doctoral Candidate, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; and, Research Assistant, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, wrote on Visualising Socialist Realism in Xuānchuán huà (1949-1976), which was published as an ICS Working Paper in July 2023. Read here

Cherry Hitkari, former Research Intern, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, wrote on Constructing the "Homeworld" and "Alienworld": Understanding North Korea Through Propaganda Posters, which was published as an ICS Occasional Paper in June 2023. Read here

Shantanu Roy-Chaudhury, former Research Associate, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, wrote on China’s Engagement and Embroilment in South Asia: Limits and Possibilities, which was published as an ICS Occasional Paper in June 2023. Read here

FACULTY UPDATE

JULY

Hemant Adlakha, Vice-Chairperson and Honorary Fellow Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; and, Associate Professor, Centre for Chinese and South East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, reviewed the book, From Rebel to Ruler: One Hundred Years of the Chinese Communist Party by Tony Saich, in China Report, Vol. 59, Issue 2, published in July 2023.

Shivshankar Menon, Chairman, Advisory Board, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; Visiting Professor, Ashoka University, Sonepat; and, Distinguished Fellow of the Centre for Social and Economic Progress, New Delhi, reviewed the book, The Avoidable War: The Dangers of a Catastrophic Conflict Between the US and Xi Jinping’s China by Kevin Rudd, in China Report, Vol. 59, Issue 2, published in July 2023.

Alka Acharya, Honorary Director, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; and Chairperson and Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, presented in a discussion on “Special Roundtable on China-India Relations” on 1 July 2023, and participated in a panel on “The ASEAN Centrality and Regional Order” on 3 July 2023, under the theme “Stabilising an Unstable World through Consensus and Cooperation” at the 11th World Peace Forum, organised by Tsinghua University, and the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, on 1-3 July 2023.

Shamshad A. Khan, Visiting Associate Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, presented a paper on “Trade and Economic Ties in the Indo Pacific: India and Japan”, at a workshop titled, The Indo-Japan Bilateral Partnership in the Indo-Pacific, organised at the International Christian University, Tokyo, on 5 July 2023.

Shyam Saran, Member, Governing Council, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; and, former Foreign Secretary of India, participated in a panel at a plenary session titled, “Major Power Roles in International Security”, and in another panel on “Resolving the Ukraine War” on 3 July 2023, at the 11th World Peace Forum, organised by Tsinghua University, and the Chinese People’s Institute of Foreign Affairs, Beijing, People’s Republic of China, on 1-3 July 2023.

JUNE

Jabin T. Jacob, Director, Centre of Excellence for Himalayan Studies; Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies, Shiv Nadar University, Delhi-NCR; and, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, was a panelist in a session titled, “Language and Strategy in China’s Global Security Initiatives”, at Samvaad 2023: Seminar on Strategic Aspects of Linguistic Training, Army Education Corps (AEC) Training College and Centre, Pachmarhi, Madhya Pradesh, on 9 June 2023. Dr. Jabin also participated as a panelist in a session titled, “China’s Engagements in South Asia: Themes, Partners and Tools”, at Tiffin Talk, Centre for Social and Economic Progress, New Delhi, on 21 June 2023. Further, he was also a panelist in a session titled, “The View from the Global South: How is China in Central Asia Seen in the Global South?”, as part of the China-Central Asia Affairs, at OSCE Academy, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 27 June 2023. He also delivered a keynote lecture on “‘Civilization’ and History (Re)Writing in Chinese Foreign Policy: Hierarchy and Order in Chinese Engagement with Central Asia”, as part of the China-Central Asia Affairs, at OSCE Academy, Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on 28 June 2023.

Madhurima Nundy, Honorary Fellow, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi; and, Fellow, Health and Human Development, Centre for Social and Economic Progress, New Delhi, presented a paper on “Universal health coverage and Covid-19 response: Insights from China and Indonesia”, as part of a session on “Coping with Future Pandemics - Learnings from the Recent Past”, at SANGAM 2023, Conference on Health Systems Research & Innovation: Past Reflections, Future Projections, on 2-3 June 2023.

Patricia Uberoi, Emeritus Fellow, and former Chairperson, Institute of Chinese Studies, New Delhi, presented a paper titled, “Gender and Sexuality in Asian Societies: Issues of Comparison and Interpretation”, in a panel on “Constructing the Foundations for Asian Sociology. A Case of Family and Gender Studies”, at the 20th International Sociological Association's World Congress of Sociology, Melbourne, Australia, on 29 June 2023.