The development of wind energy in China

Over the past 20 years, China has gone from being a country taking its first steps in wind energy to the position of a global leader in the field. The purpose of this article is to describe the factors that have determined the success of China’s renewable energy policy. The descriptive method, comparative analysis, and a case study were used to verify hypotheses. The results of the analysis showed that the success of China’s policy in the wind-energy sector was determined by such factors as prioritizing renewable energy in economic policy, setting specific goals for this policy, building entire business ecosystems in wind energy, ensuring a wide stream of financing, and constant introduction of innovations thanks to investments in R&D and human capital.

Competitiveness and practical activities of Chinese producers of electric cars on the European market

Competition in the automotive market is generally known and described. This market is dominated by the large players who have been operating for a long time. Environmental protection is directly linked to natural resources and means that competition is moving towards electrical vehicles. This new sector seeks a competitive  advantage to succeed on the market.

The aim of this article is to assess the chances of Chinese electric car manufacturers on the European market. In order to achieve this goal the method of analysis and synthesis in the field of competitiveness and competitive advantage was used. The case study method was also used to refer to the practice of Chinese car  producers in China and Europe. The data gathered leads to the conclusion that Chinese manufacturers are well aware of how to build up competitiveness in Europe. They know how to gain and maintain areas of competitive advantage. Purchase of a stake in European producers or some other kind of cooperation with them means  that the presence of Chinese electric vehicle producers on the European market is becoming substantial. After years of learning, the time of expansion has arrived, which, as collected data show, has every chance of being successful.

The aim of the paper is to present the process of evolving of the constitutionalism in People’s Republic of China. The first, introductory part briefly provides the content of the Chinese Constitution. The second part discusses the latest amendments to the Constitution and its significance. The third part is dedicated to the case study regarding application of the constitutional provisions and the mechanism of reviewing them. In the fourth paragraph, the possible future steps in development of constitutionalism was indicated. The last paragraph is dedicated to the summary

The People’s Republic of China is a very big and diverse country with huge urban and rural populations. Providing such a number of people with even a basic healthcare coverage is challenging at the best of circumstances. This, combined with several thousand years of traditional medical practices, and a radical transformation the  country has been undergoing for the last forty years creates a varied regulatory landscape. In this article, the author presents selected regulations concerning Chinese medical practitioners and a brief history of medicine in China. It begins by presenting the historical background of medicine in China – from the ancient to modern  times. The historical part is followed by an overview of selected contemporary regulations on medical practitioners in the People’s Republic of China such as practitioners’ licensing, the role of Traditional Chinese Medicine, professional and tort liability of doctors. In this article, the author also presents the huge and resurgent influence of Traditional Chinese Medicine: its own separate Law, a path to full medical licence for TCM practitioners and the state placing it as a part of the larger health-care system.

A brief history of the Mao Zedong cult – selected elements of the creation of the political legend of the Great Helmsman

The People’s Republic of China, which has been under a communist regime for over 60 years and is ruled by one party, evokes many different opinions among Western observers. The heritage of Mao Zedong, who is considered the father of modern China, is also a topic of those discussions. There is no doubt that Mao Zedong is  still recognized as a high-profile figure and an outstanding strategist by the Chinese. His biggest success is considered to be the unification of the country, which for years was an arena of competition among Western powers, rivalry among regional commanders and civil wars. Over the years, he systematically built up his image by hard work and dedication. Mao Zedong’s period of leadership goes in parallel with the cult that has been created around him.
This article describes selected events from political life that have a particular impact on the creation of Mao Zedong’s political legend in China during his period of rule. Different stages are analyzed that shaped the image of Mao - from a communist underground activist in China and outstanding military strategist to the ideologist of  aoism, an important political player, and the Father of the Nation.

Zhang Yimou – independent director or supporter of the state? One artist’s metamorphosis in a communist country

This article describes how different attitudes towards reality develop as a result of living under a communist regime that undergoes dynamic economic and social transformation. The main focus is placed on Zhang Yimou, the renowned Chinese director, whose life and work seem to reflect on-going changes in a unique way,  showing a pattern closely correlated with the political and social situation in China. The author describes how two major revolutions, the Cultural Revolution and the following economic transformation of China, shaped the life of Zhang and influenced his work. When analyzed in depth, his movies form cycles which coincide with the rapidly changing social and political circumstances. Three such cycles are described: an independent movie-making stage, developing around the early stages of economic transformation and the events in Tiananmen Square in 1989; an intermediate stage related to the development of a new, semi-capitalist society in the nineties; and finally, a commercial stage related to the great economic boom of the first decade of the twenty-first century.

The Japanese Combined Fleet in the Second Battle of Guadalcanal, November 14–15, 1942

The purpose of the article is to present the clash of the night of November 14–15, 1942, which has gone down in the history of maritime warfare as the Second Battle of Guadalcanal. It was the result of the efforts of Japan and the United States to solve the complex strategic situation on the Solomon Islands archipelago. It was  also the effect of a highpoint in the campaign, which finally ended in the defeat of the Japanese Empire. During the battle, the ills of the Japanese command system, officers’ indecision, and technological backwardness came to light. One of the elements that contributed to the American victory was air control provided by planes taking off from Henderson Field airfield. Thanks to efficient command, US Navy ships with the help of aviation inflicted considerable losses within the Japanese ranks. As a result, the Second Battle of Guadalcanal ended in the total defeat of the Empire, whose situation in the Solomon Islands deteriorated subsequently.

Human rights violations in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

This article is an attempt to show the problem of the violation of human rights in the communist Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, based on the example of forced labour camps functioning there. North Korea is a country in which there is no political opposition, as all forms of disobedience to the existing dictatorship are  severely punished. The regime uses terror in the form of capital punishment or labour camps to maintain control over society. These camps markedly resemble the concentration camps that existed in Europe during the Second World War. The methods used there are crimes against humanity. Torture, human experiments and complete disregard for human life occur there on level that is very similar to methods employed by the Nazis in their death camps. Public opinion has long tried not to perceive the problem and to maintain a wall of silence. However on the international stage, this wall is beginning to crumble. More and more voices can be heard calling for international intervention and prosecution of perpetrators for responsibility for crimes before a competent international body.

Vietnam has embarked on the open market economy under socialist orientation since the amendment of the 1980 Constitution in 1992 due to the collapse of the former Soviet Union. The introduction of Doimoi (renovation) in 1986 is considered as a turning point of Vietnam. Doimoi required government to change its role in order to meet the growing demands. It is the same as the case of China, ‘the transitional to market economy required a new form of government and style of regulation. Vietnamese Government could not carry out both economic and public administrative functions as used to be in the period of centrally planned economy. It other words,  the role of government in transition has changed from government-controlled to government-steered in the market-based system. As the centrally planned economy created the ‘applicationapproval’ administrative system, therefore, it was essential to reform administrative system in order to respond to the changes of economic  regime. In addition, global integration also requires Vietnam to reform public sector to achieve development targets. ‘Institutional reform, human resources development, recourse mobilization and financial management, and innovation and information technology capacity building’ are essential reforms to integrate into the global  economy and achieve the MDGs.

Banks have very diverse structures of funding, which has not changed significantly over the years. Forms of funding used by modern banks include: capital, deposits and wholesale funding. Deposits, especially retail ones constitute the main source of bank funding. Banks’ customers invest their money in the form of deposits usually in order to receive interest. What also attracts customers to deposits is the security of investment. Banks deposits come with a very low default risk, since they are usually protected under deposit guarantee schemes.

However it should be noted that not all banks can offer deposits characterised by the above-mentioned features. In the 1970s, an alternative banking system emerged in which financial instruments, including deposits, are structured in a different, unique way. A distinctive feature of Islamic banks is the obligation to conduct operations in accordance with the principles of sharia, which is the religious law of Muslims. The basic sharia principle applied by Islamic financial institutions is the prohibition of usury (arab. riba), which is understood as any sort of increase over the principal amount. The prohibition of riba has huge implications on operations conducted by Islamic banks since none of them can be based on interest. This also applies to deposits. It should be noted that Islamic scholars are generally of the opinion that saving is desirable, or even necessary, for the economic and social development of Muslim societies. However, mobilisation of savings in the Islamic banking system is much more challenging than in the conventional one. Deposits cannot be based on interest rate since this is contrary to sharia, but they still should bring certain profits so as to promote savings. The main purpose of the article is to characterise Islamic banks’ deposit funding and to compare the scope of usage of deposits in Islamic and conventional banks via the example of Malaysia. In the study qualitative, as well as quantitative research methods have been employed.

The challenges to protect the rights of indigenous peoples in West Papua

The purpose of the article is to present the political, legal and economic challenges which are facing the authorities of the Republic of Indonesia in the province of Papua and West Papua.

An armed conflict is going on in this area between successive Indonesian governments and Papuan nationalists, which involves demands regarding the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples. Since 2001, a law on special autonomy has been in force in both provinces, which grants a number of rights to the inhabitants of this territory. However, Papuan nationalists say that this law is not implemented. The Indonesian authorities disagree with this opinion. The article presents both of these positions, as well as specific actions of the Indonesian government to improve the protection of the rights of indigenous peoples, which the author assumes are the result of pressure from the international community.

Between theory and practice: Directions of Indonesia’s foreign policy in the twenty-first century and its status in international relations from the perspective of the middle power concept

The aim of this paper is to provide a description and an analysis of Indonesian foreign policy in the twenty-first century as a middle power in international relations. While middle powers are a relevant part of scholarly discourse in the study of international relations, there is considerable confusion as to how to define such states.  Because of that, the role theory in international relations has been adopted in an analysis of the foreign policy of Indonesia, which is one of the most dynamically developing states in the world. According to this approach, the six main roles of Indonesia in contemporary international relations can be outlined: its role as a regional  leader in Southeast Asia, as a promoter of democracy, as a voice of developing states, as a ‘stabiliser’ within the international system, as a “good international citizen,” and as a state supporting multilateral processes. Those roles can be realized on three levels: the subregional, the regional, and the global.