JUNE 2021
       

Dear Friend,

 

The Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) continued to take up relevant issues and topics through digital platforms to generate informed analysis of China and East Asia. We expanded our activities and outreach as regular activities started opening up despite the Covid pandemic.

Our events in June focused on a variety of discussions around topics of contemporary importance like ‘Global Vaccine Supply Chain and its Distribution: India and China’ by Ms. Sujatha Rao, Prof. Biswajit Dhar, and Mr. E Kumar Sharma, The Indo-Tibetan Border Police in India's China Policymaking’ by Dr. Jabin T. Jacob, and ‘China's Quest for Geopolitical Dominance’ by Prof. Manoj Kewalramani, among others, amidst when China’s growing assertiveness. Prof. Sachio Nakato also broadened our academic horizons with a presentation on ‘Japan-South Korea: Contests and Cooperation

In addition to disseminating expert analysis on China and East Asia, ICS Publications also provide a vital platform for young scholars to present their ongoing research as ICS Research Blogs. Our publication programme in June included illuminating articles such as ‘The 8th Congress of Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un’s Thoughts and Future of North Korea’ by Mr. Kuri Sravan Kumar and ‘Trade Performance between China and the BRICS’ – an ICS Occasional Paper based on a presentation by Dr. Radha Raghurampatruni during the 13th AICCS. We also published a piece on ‘Rising Xenophobia and Anti-Asian Racism amid COVID-19: A Theoretical Lens’ submitted to ICS by three early research scholars from Malaysia: Mr. Shamim Ahmed Khan, Mr. Mohammad Zainuddin, and Mr. Masnun Mahi.

The Centre for International Security and Strategy (CISS) held a hybrid Webinar on the ‘Future of India-China Relations’ on 10 June. The agenda for the webinar was to discuss the various areas of conflict and cooperation between India and China in the current times and the near future. The ICS team was led by Ambassador Vijay Nambiar, besides Dr. Manoj Joshi, Dr. Madhurima Nundy and Dr. Hemant Adlakha.

 

 

EVENTS AND ACTIVITIES

The ICS conducted five webinars this month.

Dr. Arunabh Ghosh, Associate Professor, Department of History, Harvard University spoke on ‘Making it Count: Statistics and Statecraft in the Early People's Republic of China’ on 2 June. Prof. Madhavi Thampi, Former Associate Professor, Department of East Asian Studies, Delhi University, chaired the event. (SoundCloud)  (YouTube)

 

Prof. Sachio Nakato, College of International Relations and Director, Center for East Asian Peace and Cooperation Studies, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan spoke on ‘Japan-South Korea: Contests and Cooperation’, on 9 June. Prof. Srabani Roy Choudhury, Centre for East Asian Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, chaired the event. (SoundCloud)  (YouTube)

 

Dr. Jabin T. Jacob, Associate Professor, Department of International Relations and Governance Studies, Shiv Nadar University and Adjunct Research Fellow, National Maritime Foundation, spoke on ‘At the Forefront, In the Background: The Indo-Tibetan Border Police in India's China Policymaking’, on 16 June. Lt. Gen. DS Hooda (Retd.), Former, GOC-in-C, North Command; Co-Founder, Council for Strategic and Defense Research, Senior Fellow, Delhi Policy Group, chaired the event. (SoundCloud)  (YouTube)

 

Ms. Sujatha Rao, former Union Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India; Prof. Biswajit Dhar, Centre for Economic Studies and Planning, School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University; and Mr. E Kumar Sharma,  Deputy Editor, Financial Express, The Indian Express Group, spoke on ‘Global Vaccine Supply Chain and Its Distribution: India and China’ on 23 June. Prof. Rama V Baru, Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University was in Chair. (SoundCloud)  (YouTube)

 

Prof. Manoj Kewalramani, Chairperson, Indo-Pacific Research Programme and Head, China Studies, Takshashila Institution, spoke on ‘Smokeless War: China's Quest for Geopolitical Dominance’ on 30 June. Amb. Vijay Nambiar, former Ambassador/High Commissioner in Algiers, Afghanistan, Malaysia, China and Pakistan, was in Chair.  (SoundCloud)  (YouTube)

 

 

PUBLICATIONS

This month we had seven publications in total – two Occasional Paper, one ICS Analysis, and four ICS Research Blogs.

ICS Occasional Paper

  1. Dr. Radha Raghurampatruni, Associate Professor, GITAM, Visakhapatnam, on ‘An Empirical Analysis of Trade Performance between China and the BRICS’,
  2. Mr. Kuri Sravan Kumar, Research Scholar, Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi, on ‘The 8th Congress of Workers’ Party of Korea, Kim Jong-un’s Thoughts and Future of North Korea’.

ICS Analysis

  1. Mr. Shamim Ahmed Khan, School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, Bandar Sunway, Malaysia; Mr. Mohammad Zainuddin, Research School of Management, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia; and Mr. Masnun Mahi, Faculty of Business and Accountancy, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on ‘Rising Xenophobia and Anti-Asian Racism amid COVID-19: A Theoretical Lens’.

ICS Research Blogs

  1. Mr. Siddhant Hira, China-analyst and incoming MA National Security Studies student, King’s College London, on The Beijing Winter Olympics 2022: China’s Soft Reset?’.
  2. Dr. Hemant Adlakha, Honorary Fellow, ICS and Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, on ‘Biden Picks Nicholas Burns for China Envoy: Right Man, Wrong Destination?’. (Revised and updated version of an earlier article titled ‘Kerry’s China Visit: Nicholas Burns for China Envoy: Is Biden Sending Wrong Signals to Beijing?’ published by NIICE on 26 April, 2021.)
  3. Mr. Jelvin Jose, Research Intern, ICS, on ‘The Arakan Army and China’s Relationship with Ethnic Armed Organizations in Myanmar’.
  4. Dr. Hemant Adlakha, Honorary Fellow, ICS, and Associate Professor, Jawaharlal Nehru University, on ‘On Kissinger, China, US Presidential Candidates and Presidents’. (Revised and updated version of an earlier published under the same title in Moderndiplomacy on 5 May, 2021.

 

 

IN THE MEDIA

Amb. Gautam Bambawale, former Ambassador to Bhutan, Pakistan and China and Distinguished Professor, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Symbiosis International University, Pune, wrote on ‘Long View from Ladakh: Galwan’s lesson is that India needs allies against China. Three kinds of alliances are possible’ for The Times of India on 15 June and on Checkmate & Stalemate for Outlook Weekly on 21 June. Prof. Alka Acharya, Honorary Fellow, ICS, and Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi was quoted by ThePrint in its article titled, ‘What does the future of India-China ties look like? 8 experts speak on 16 June. Prof. Ashwini Deshpande, Founding Director, Centre for Economic Data and Analysis (CEDA), Ashoka University and Professor of Economics, Ashoka University penned a piece for The Wire on ‘COVID-19 Has Made the Rocky Road to Gender Equality Bumpier on 3 June and for The Indian Express on As India gets vaccinated, women are falling behind. We must mind this gap on 21 June. Her interview titled, ‘COVID-19: Why Are Women Being Left Behind in the Vaccination Campaign? was broadcast by The Wire on 8 June. Prof. Rama V. Baru, Honorary Fellow, ICS, Delhi, and Professor, Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, was quoted in an article titled, See how rural India has been overrun by the pandemic's second wave published by National Geographic on 19 June. Prof. Mahendra P. Lama, Adjunct Fellow, ICS, Delhi, and Professor, Centre for South Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, was quoted in the article titled, ‘Can Sikkim’s Centre of Excellence become a University by October 2021? published by EastMojo on 24 June. Prof. Amita Batra, Centre for South Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, penned a piece for Business Standard on Opportunities galore in the east: A deeper integration with east Asian economies could be integral to India’s economic recovery in the pandemic on 17 June. Prof. Siddiq Wahid, Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi and Adjuct Fellow, ICS was quoted by Financial Times in their article titled, ‘Modi meets Kashmir leaders 2 years after revoking region’s autonomy on 24 June. Dr. Partha Mukhopadhyay, Senior Fellow at the Center for Policy Research, was quoted in the article titled, ‘Modi Backtracks on India Vaccine Drive After Intense Criticism by Bloomberg on 7 June. Dr. Mirza Zulfiqur Rahman, Visiting Research Associate, ICS, was quoted in article titled, Sustainability of Brahmaputra basin needs transboundary cooperation published by Mongabay on 8 June. Dr. Zorawar Daulet Singh, Adjunct Fellow, ICS was quoted by The Print in its article titled  ‘Deep sense of Mistrust between India and China’ on 25 June. Dr. Happymon Jacob, Adjunct Fellow, ICS and Associate Professor, Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi,  was quoted in the Financial Times in their article titled, Modi meets Kashmir leaders 2 years after revoking region’s autonomy on 24 June. He was also quoted by DW News on 25 June. Dr. Sandip Kumar Mishra, Honorary Fellow, ICS, Delhi, and Associate Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi authored penned a piece for The Dispatch on  ‘Biden’s North Korea Policy: Has ‘Strategic Patience’ Returned?’ and for Korea Times on North Korea's economic desperation on 16 June.

 

 

FACULTY UPDATES

Amb. Shivshankar Menon, Chairman, Advisory Board, ICS, and Former National Security Advisor, Government of India spoke at a Webinar titled, 'India and Asian Geopolitics: The Past, Present,' Amb. Shivshankar Menon organised by Pathfinders Foundation. Amb. Menon also spoke in a panel discussion on ‘Rise of Asia’ as part of NIICE Global Conclave organised by Nepal Institute for International Cooperation and Engagement(NIICE) on 26 June and chaired a Book Discussion on ‘India Versus China: Why They Are Not Friends’ organized by Centre for Social and Economic Progress on 29 June. Prof. Alka Acharya, Honorary Fellow, ICS, and Professor, Centre for East Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi spoke at a Webinar titled, ‘One Year After Galwan: The Global Perspective’, organised by the Global Counter Terrorism Council on 15 June. Prof. Rama V. Baru, Honorary Fellow, ICS, Delhi, and Professor, Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi,  authored a piece for Qrius on Why couldn’t India’s health system cope during the second wave? on 30 June. Dr. Hemant Adlakha, Honorary Fellow, and Associate Professor, Centre for Chinese and Southeast Asian Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University penned a piece for NIICE on ‘Biden’s ‘Diplomacy is back’: Illusion or Gauzy Fiction?’ on 7 June. Dr. Adlakha also spoke at a Webinar on ‘‘The future of Quad and India’s role in it: How India-US relations might evolve and its implications for China’ organized by Centre for International Security and Strategy(CISS), Tsinghua University on 10 June. His two two-part series titled, ‘Taiwan: The First and Oldest ‘Thorn’ between China and the West’ was published by Modern Diplomacy on 10 and 14 June.  He also penned a piece for  Indian Defence Review on  ‘QUAD: Is India really the weakest link in the US-led alliance?’ on 18 June. Dr. Zorawar Daulet Singh, Adjunct Fellow, ICS participated in a Book Discussion on ‘Power Shift: India-China relations in a Multi-polar World’ organised by Nation-State Dialogue on 15 June and a panel discussion titled, ‘Security Analysis: India-China Relations 2021’ organised by Bharata First on 19 June. Dr. Happymon Jacob, Adjunct Fellow, ICS and Associate Professor, Centre for International Politics, Organization and Disarmament, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, spoke at a Webinar on India-Pakistan Ceasefire on LOC: What next? organised by Centre for Aerospace & Security Studies, Islamabad on 3 June. His National Security Conversations for June included ‘The Geopolitics of 5G! I Finland’ with Amb. Ritva Koukku Ronde (Finland’s Ambassador to India) on 14 June; ‘Synthetic Biology, Pandemics and the Future of Biosecurity’ with Dr. Brett Edwards, University of Bath on 20 June; and ‘An Opening in Kashmir? Understanding PM Modi's Outreach to Political Leaders in The Valley’ with Lt Gen DS Hooda (Retd) on 24 June.  Prof. Siddiq Wahid, Senior Visiting Fellow, Centre for Policy Research (CPR), New Delhi and Adjuct Fellow, ICS participated in a Book Discussion titled, ‘The Light of Asia: The Poem that Defined The Buddha organized’ by Valley of Words on 20 Jun 2021. Dr. Madhurima Nundy, Assistant Director and Fellow, ICS, spoke on ‘How China might help or cooperate with India In fighting COVID-19’ at a Webinar on ‘Future of China-India Relations’ organized by Centre for International Security and Strategy(CISS), Tsinghua University on 10 June. Mr. Santosh Pai, Honorary Fellow, ICS, and Partner, Link Legal India Law Services, was quoted in KrAsia in the article titled ‘ByteDance flounders in limbo in India one year after TikTok ban’ on 7 June.  Dr. Rityusha Tiwari, Visiting Fellow, ICS, and Assistant Editor, China Report, participated in a panel discussion on ‘India-China Relations: Current Trends & Future Paradigms: Indian Perspective’ organized by Global Counter Terrorism World on 15 June. Dr. Rajiv Ranjan, Adjunct Fellow, ICS wrote on Impact of COVID-19 on Migrant Labourers of India and China for Critical Sociology, Volume: 47 Issue: 4-5 (Pages: 721-726). Dr. Veda Vaidyanathan, Visiting Research Associate, ICS, participated in panel discussion on ‘Enhancing Afro-India Relations: From Economy to Security’ organised by Raisina House on 15 June. Dr. P K Anand, visiting Research Associate, ICS reviewed ‘Dying for an iPhone: Apple, Foxconn and the Lives of China's Workers’ (Jenny Chan, Mark Selden and Pun Ngai, Chicago: Haymarket Books, 2020) for Economic and Political Weekly Vol. 56, No. 23. Dr. Anurag Viswanath, Adjunct Fellow, ICS participated in a Book Discussion on ‘How China Loses: The Pushback Against Chinese Global Ambitions’ organised by Observer Research Foundation on 10 June. Mr. Shanky Chandra reviewed the following two books for Harvard-Yenching:‘中國科幻新浪潮:歷史,詩學,文本 (New Wave in Chinese Science Fiction: History, Poetics, Text)’ and ‘中国科幻文学沉思录: 吴岩学术自选集(Meditations on Chinese Science Fiction Literature: Wu Yan’s Self-selected Academic Works)’.

 

The ICS WebsiteFacebook and Twitter accounts are among the several ways you can get the latest on our publications and activities. You can also subscribe to our monthly newsletter to follow our events and publications as well as browse our YouTube and SoundCloud channels.

We look forward to your participation in our events and activities in the coming days and hope for your continued support.

 

Please take care and stay safe and healthy.

 

Best regards,

Ashok K. Kantha

Director

 

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