Papers by Chow Bing Ngeow
China Report, Feb 1, 2022
This article reviews the origins, development and current trends of what is known as ‘party liter... more This article reviews the origins, development and current trends of what is known as ‘party literature work’ and the principal organisation that carries out this work—the Central Party Literature Office (CPLO). Party literature work plays a crucial role for each generation of Chinese communist leadership to assert its ideological ‘line’ and build its canon. It is an integral part of the ideological apparatus of the Communist Party of China. Under Xi Jinping, CPLO was merged into a new organisation, but party literature work remains and continues to play a key role, supporting his ideological line.
Contemporary Southeast Asia: A Journal of International and Strategic Affairs, Aug 31, 2015
��� Malaysia and China upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 20... more ��� Malaysia and China upgraded their relationship to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership in 2013 and signed a Joint Communique in 2014. Although the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership includes a pledge to strengthen cooperation between the armed forces of the two countries, so far, however, Sino–Malaysian defence ties have advanced only incrementally. This article focuses on the development of defence relations between the two countries from 1991 until the first half of 2015. It examines several areas of defence diplomacy, including visits by senior officials, the exchange of military students, arms sales, defence and security consultations and combined military exercises. It concludes that although Malaysia–China defence ties have not developed as quickly as other aspects of the bilateral relationship, this does not mean that the Comprehen sive Strategic Partnership lacks depth, or that Kuala Lumpur fundamentally distrusts Beijing because of recent developments in the South China Sea.
Springer eBooks, 2020
Besides its Foreign Ministry, China has an important agency for the conduct of foreign affairs, n... more Besides its Foreign Ministry, China has an important agency for the conduct of foreign affairs, namely, the International Department of the CPC. The International Department is in charge of Party-based diplomacy, and is an integral part of the Chinese foreign-policy process. This chapter will first discuss the role of the International Department in the foreign policy process. It will then discuss the activities and functions of the Department in recent years before looking at how the 19th Party Congress has changed or shaped the Department’s vision, and future missions and functions.
Routledge eBooks, Nov 9, 2018
Springer eBooks, 2017
This paper seeks to analyze the development of three aspects of Chinese Studies, namely Sinology,... more This paper seeks to analyze the development of three aspects of Chinese Studies, namely Sinology, China Studies, and Chinese Overseas Studies in Malaysia. Each aspect corresponds to different levels of looking at China: civilizational, state, and ethnic. It also examines how identity politics in Malaysia shapes the development of these fields and how these fields created different images of China. Sinology depoliticizes China and presents the magnificent Chinese culture as a positive element in Malaysian nation-building project. Chinese Overseas Studies de-centers China and examines the multiple identities of the Chinese people. China Studies were officially pursued under the agendas of inter-civilizational dialogue and friendship between China and Malaysia. Keywords Sinology. Chinese overseas studies. China studies. Identity politics in Malaysia Kazuo Ogoura, a past president of the Japan Foundation and an academic, once wrote an article in The Japan Times that analyzed the declining trends and challenges of Japanese Studies. He observed that a country's strategic, political, and economic fortunes tend to have a corresponding effect on the foreign studies of such country [18]. In contrast, the rising Chinese political and economic influences have made Chinese Studies become a prominent field of inquiry in many countries. Traditionally, Chinese Studies are overwhelmingly concentrated in developed powers such as the United States, Japan, Australia, and Western Europe as well as some major non-Western countries such as Korea, India, Taiwan, Russia, and East European countries. However, Southeast Asian countries (with the exception of Singapore and Vietnam), despite having one of the longest historical relationships with China, have been conspicuously absent in the academic studies of China. This is true in Malaysia too. 1
Journal of Contemporary China, Oct 9, 2014
The Central Compilation and Translation Bureau (CCTB), a key research organ of the Chinese Commun... more The Central Compilation and Translation Bureau (CCTB), a key research organ of the Chinese Communist Party, has received little attention from scholars inside or outside of China. Originally an authoritative translation house for classical Marxist works, in recent years CCTB has gained more prominence as a policy think tank. Among its leaders are wellknown advocates for political reforms and democracy. This article examines the institutional evolution of CCTB. It will discuss what factors are involved in how CCTB has evolved, including the role of its leadership and the changing political context in China; and it will examine how CCTB reconciles its seemingly contradictory roles of being a Marxist translation house and a pro-reform think tank.
Ocean Development and International Law, Feb 24, 2022
Abstract This article investigates and examines the efficacy of the multilateral and bilateral mo... more Abstract This article investigates and examines the efficacy of the multilateral and bilateral modalities or mechanisms in managing the South China Sea dispute between China and Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) claimant states. There are three multilateral modalities in the management and control of the South China Sea dispute: the “ASEAN + China,” “ASEAN + X” and “ASEAN-X” modalities. At the bilateral level, mechanisms have developed between China and the Philippines, China and Vietnam, and China and Malaysia. It is argued in this article that the “ASEAN + China” modality remains the most realistic multilateral arrangement currently, while the alternative options of “ASEAN + X” and “ASEAN-X” might be feasible in the long term. Meanwhile, while bilateral mechanisms have fostered trust building and pragmatic maritime cooperation in the South China Sea, they are facing a number of challenges.
Series on China's belt and road initiative, May 1, 2019
Asian Politics & Policy, Oct 1, 2019
The past explanations of Malaysia’s policy responses to China’s assertiveness in the South China ... more The past explanations of Malaysia’s policy responses to China’s assertiveness in the South China Sea centered on systemic, economic, and ideational factors. I adopt a different approach by looking into the decision-making process of Malaysia’s China policy during Najib Razak’s administration (2009–2018). I explain that the China policy decision-making process under Najib was divided into two channels, one focusing on nonsecurity matters and the other on security matters, with the prime minister seated at the top of the two channels, while there were very little interactions between the two channels. These characteristics could partially explain the nature and outcome of Malaysia’s South China Sea policy posture. © 2019 Policy Studies Organizatio
China has promoted the so-called “five connectivities” (policy coordination, infrastructure conne... more China has promoted the so-called “five connectivities” (policy coordination, infrastructure connection, trade facilitation, financial integration, and people-to-people exchange) under the Belt and Road Initiative towards the relevant countries. Together, the five connectivities constitute a comprehensive agenda in forming a long-term and sustainable cooperative relationship between China and these countries. China has rightly put people-to-people exchange as one of the five, but has not been very clear what concrete areas are to be promoted, and so far religion has received very scant attention from the official side.
China: An International Journal
This article reviews a book series on Chinese-style democracy that was published in China in 2010... more This article reviews a book series on Chinese-style democracy that was published in China in 2010 and represents mainstream Chinese perspectives and discourse on Chinese-style democracy. It begins with a discussion of whether a viable alternative to the liberal democratic model exists, and whether we should seriously consider Chinese-style democracy as one such alternative. The article discusses each of the volumes in this series, evaluates the arguments contained within them, and then reviews another two books in English that critique Chinese-style democracy. Finally, it concludes by arguing that we should take Chinese discourse about Chinese-style democracy seriously, not because we have to agree that it presents a viable alternative, but because it provides a realistic strategy for political progress within China’s political system.
Researching China in Southeast Asia, 2019
China's Rise and the Chinese Overseas, 2017
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Papers by Chow Bing Ngeow