ABSTRACTS

3 A Review of the Concepts in United Nations Global Public Health Governance

by JinJiyong & Zheng Xin

【Abstract】As an important actor in global public health governance,the United Nations(UN)has in practice adopted a concept of global public health governance based on human rights,development and security.Through the introduction of a health discourse and related issues in the framework of its human rights agenda,the UN’s human rightsoriented global public health governance concept has become the moral guide for global health.By setting health improvement goals in the development strategies or initiatives,the UN has put forward a concept of development for global public health governance based on social and economic development.Through adopting a security discourse and introducing security concerns in dealing with the global public health governance crisis,the visibility of global health issues has been enhanced.Undoubtedly,these UN global public health governance concepts complement each other and have jointly promoted the prevention and control of COVID-19.But at the same time,they present some problems,such as ambiguity of the principles and “politicization” of health issues,which have had a negative impact on the effectiveness and fairness of UN global public health governance.

【Key Words】the United Nations,global governance,global public health governance,COVID-19

20 Political Communication of European Right-wing Populist Parties in the Age of Social Media

by Chen Wensheng

【Abstract】In the age of social media,the new media ecology and new communication tools are driving the rise of populist parties.Social media and right-wing populist parties in Europe show a unique relationship of interdependence and “collusion” due to their inter-related goals and strategies of political communication.The use of social media challenges the communication logic and form of the traditional media,and plays an extremely important role for populist parties with respect to information dissemination,voter mobilization,public opinion guidance,image building of party leaders,and the publicity of political achievements and political legitimacy.Right-wing populist parties employ social media-based communication strategies to realize their goals by closely sticking to the populist ideology both in terms of style and rhetoric,and setting their agenda based on morality and identity.But while trying to use a collective illusion of political purity in the name of the people to gain power,right-wing populist parties are also a cause for concern for the democratic system,public psychology,political order and the landscape of political parties in Europe.The future development of these parties whose impact has been amplified by new media deserves continuous attention and vigilance.

【Key Words】right-wing populist parties,social media,political communication,mediatization of politics,post-truth,European politics

39 The Model of China’s Foreign Aid:Theory,Practice and Global Significance

by Luo Jianbo

【Abstract】China's foreign aid is a form of mutual assistance,mutual trust and mutually beneficial cooperation within the framework of South-South cooperation.Consistent with the basic spirit and principles of South-South cooperation,it embodies China’s commitment to global responsibility and moral principles.Its evolution has coincided with the different phases of South-South cooperation,and with the revival of China and other developing countries.In terms of theoretical features,it is rooted in traditional Chinese culture and proletarian internationalism and founded on China’s major diplomatic ideas and theories post-1949.Guided by the unity of national interests and international responsibilities,its policies are most clearly distinguished by the insistence on non-interference in internal affairs and no political conditions attached,and are in essence a form of “South-South cooperation” rather than “North-South relations”.Its practice has been consistently characterized by the following features:(a)respect for the development agenda and independent choices of the recipient countries,and an emphasis on “development” and “people’s livelihood”,(b)attention to pragmatism,integrity and efficiency,(c)equality,sincerity and friendliness,and(d)a fine tradition of doing whatever we can to help and keeping our promises.This South-South mutual assistance model has global significance and will likely promote innovation in global assistance thanks to its greater efficiency.

【Key Words】foreign aid,South-South cooperation,developing countries,sound view on justice and utility

64 Big Data-based Sentiment Analysis:A Non-rational IR Paradigm in the Digital Age

by Wang Yunxuan & Dong Qingling

【Abstract】Does the online buzz among voters before the election indicate their voting preferences? Does the spread of negative emotions such as panic,anger,and hatred herald social unrest? Does the war of words between two countries portend the future direction of bilateral relations? As a direct expression of interpersonal relations and political experience,sentiment is a factor which is difficult to exclude and avoid in political decision-making.However,in international relations,sentiment analysis,as a research paradigm,has not been given due attention due to the prevalence of the traditional rational paradigm and the lack of necessary tools for emotion analysis.Nowadays,with the advent of big data and the emergence of new materials,technologies and ideas,big data-based sentiment analysis is likely to be an important IR subfield to experiment with engineering application.Overall,sentiment analysis is mainly based on the interdisciplinary integration of natural language processing technology in computer science and expertise in international relations.It focuses on exploring the hidden influence of emotions as a non-rational factor on modern politics.While big data-based sentiment analysis has a great potential for expansion,it will also face many difficulties.By looking at the theoretical and technological progress in the analysis of political sentiment,this article analyzes the basic principles and application scenarios of sentiment analysis in IR.It also briefly evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of sentiment analysis in its attempt to capture the subtle human interaction and emotional transmission in a complex society.

【Key Words】digital age,sentiment analysis,big data,international relations,nonrational paradigm

86 Deficiencies in the Use of Scientific Methods in International Relations

by Wang Zhengda

【Abstract】In international relations,the uncritical use of scientific methods in the natural sciences which are not necessarily appropriate has resulted in major problems.Specifically the defects mainly exist in the following four aspects.First,there are problems with the way theory is constructed regarding conceptualization,the logical chain,assumptions,theory testing,and the limits of the deductive method.Second,there are problems of case selection,including mainly the selective use of cases,insufficient justification of case selection and the narrow historical period covered by the selected cases.Third,there are limitations with experimental and statistical methods.Fourth,the falsification approach is not applicable to the study of international relations as a social science.These defects are caused by a disregard for the differences between events in international relations and natural phenomena,and between the patterns in international relations and in the natural world.They are like IR’s incurable congenital chronic diseases which inevitably make conclusions in international relations less scientific and reliable.Scientific methods cannot replace traditional methods,and the study of international relations should be based on the actual practice of countries and their international relations,gain theoretical insight from the history and reality of international relations,and make a comprehensive analysis of the factors affecting international relations.International relations should avoid the pure pursuit of theoretical parsimony by simply trying to simplify concepts and reduce variables,which leads to one-sided interpretations of international relations and makes such study a purely technical exercise,devoid of real thought and marred by conceptual self-perpetuation.

【Key Words】international relations,scientific methods,theory construction,case selection,falsification

101 The 2020 U.S.Election and the Transition of the Democratic Party

by Diao Daming

【Abstract】Since the New Deal,the U.S.Democratic Party has sought electoral victory by relying on varying alliances of interests groups mainly consisting of blue-collar workers and African Americans,but the stability of the alliances continues to face challenges.In the 2020 presidential election,the Democratic Party’s Joe Biden and Kamala Harris ticket continues that tradition by trying to respond to those groups correspondingly.It must be noted that the Democratic Party faces many challenges and hurdles in its transition.Swift demographic changes in race and class resulting from economic globalization and other factors have greatly increased the difficulty for the party to balance the demands of these interest groups,and the changes in the Democratic voter base in terms of race,education and class have also deepened the differences in political views and policy positions among different factions within the party.Since the Obama administration,the party’s stalled intergenerational renewal process is also a problem that cannot be underestimated.Under these pressures and that of the Trumpian turn in the Republican Party which sees the GOP gravitating toward “white supremacy” in “identity politics”,the Democrats will find it very difficult for them to practice “Sandersism” with its focus on class and economic equality.Instead,they are very likely to turn to an “identity politics” agenda that represents the interests of minorities.This will intensify the “tribalization” of party politics and may even lead to the “de-whitening” of the Democratic political elite,with profound implications for the future of American politics.

【Key Words】the U.S.Democratic Party,blue-collar working class,African Americans,identity politics

119 Global Governance and the Development of Pacific Islands Regionalism

by Chen Xiaochen

【Abstract】The development of Pacific Islands regionalism in recent years has brought changes to the region that has been for long at the margin of the world politics.This article aims to explain the development of Pacific Islands regionalism through the perspective of global governance.With a focus on the three key agendas of financial and development governance,climate governance and ocean governance,the global governance process in the region since around 2008-2009 has shown three trends:the emergence of “small informal groupings”,democratization and networking.The process has enabled the Pacific Island Countries(PICs)to achieve their common interests through regional collective diplomacy institutions,enhanced their autonomy in regional affairs,and shaped the regional identity for the new era.These factors have jointly promoted the development of Pacific Islands regionalism.Through case studies of the reform of the Pacific Islands Forum(PIF)and the establishment of the Pacific Small Island Developing States(PSIDS),this article looks at how global governance works on Pacific Islands regionalism both in the reform of established regional organizations and in the creation of new regional institutions.It finds that global governance processes eventually made an impact on the PIF reform by driving the PICs toward a “selfstrengthening through unity” approach because these processes enabled them to express their interests on global governance issues,such as climate change,ocean governance,and the sustainable development.This has led to the rise of regional institutions such as the PSIDS,the Pacific Islands Development Forum(PIDF),an institutionalized Parties to Nauru Agreement,the Office of Chief Trade Adviser(OCTA),and the Melanesian Spearhead Group(MSG)which is quickly emerging as an international organization.The significance of this article is that helps to construct hypotheses with potentially more generalizability in the comparative regionalism framework,and to combine regional studies and the study of regionalism.

【Key Words】global governance,Pacific Island Countries,regionalism,South Pacific,sustainable development

137 “South-North” or “East-West”?The Competition and Coordination of Transnational Economic Corridors in the Mekong Region

by Lu Guangsheng & Bie Mengjie

【Abstract】Economic corridors are an important part of the Belt and Road Initiative(BRI).Among China’s six major economic corridors,two pass through the Mekong region.This is a region that has attracted the attention of major powers given its prominent geostrategic location and promising market.China,India and Japan have built transnational economic corridors with the Mekong countries,producing a crisscross of south-north bound corridors cutting across east-west bound ones in the region.Using “geography—market—identity” as the theoretical framework,this paper analyzes the competition faced by the transnational economic corridors constructed by China,India,Japan,and attempts to explore the possibility and pathways to coordinate the development of the various economic corridors.It argues that China should deepen geo-strategic mutual trust with India and Japan,and carry out bilateral and multilateral market cooperation with them in the region.China should promote the coordination of the various economic corridors to enhance regional connectivity by deepening mutually beneficial cooperation in "soft" connectivity and increasing mutual understanding on a deeper level.This will be an opportunity to show how the BRI can be integrated with the development strategies of India and Japan.

【Key Words】the Mekong Region,transnational economic corridors,competition,coordination