Chinese Journal of International Review

This study critically examines the evolving dynamics of Afghanistan–Pakistan relations following the Taliban’s resurgence in 2021, a development that has intensified security, diplomatic, and economic challenges within South Asia. Historically defined by conflict, proxy warfare, and intermittent cooperation, the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan is now further complicated by the Taliban’s governance and the resurgence of the Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). By applying a regional security complex framework, this research investigates how security threats, cross-border tensions, and geopolitical alignments shape current interactions between the two countries. Through qualitative analysis, this study identifies key factors influencing these dynamics, such as Pakistan’s internal security policies and public sentiment, Afghanistan’s fragmented governance structure, and the strategic roles of regional powers like China, India, Russia, and Iran. Findings indicate that cross-border attacks by the TTP, unresolved territorial disputes, and fluctuating diplomatic engagements are pivotal to understanding the ongoing instability. Economic dependencies and infrastructure projects, although potential avenues for cooperation, remain secondary to pressing security concerns. This study emphasizes the implications of Afghanistan–Pakistan relations for broader regional stability, particularly for counterterrorism efforts and humanitarian issues linked to refugee flows and human rights under Taliban rule. Ultimately, the research highlights the urgent need for effective diplomatic mechanisms, regional partnerships, and consistent international engagement to foster stability in South Asia. By assessing these complex dimensions, the study provides critical insights into the prospects and policy directions required to navigate Afghanistan–Pakistan relations in an increasingly volatile context.

Confucius Institutes (CIs) are an important strategic instrument in promoting China’s soft power and public diplomacy. However, the establishment of the CIs in the West has been controversial because they receive financial and administrative support from China’s Ministry of Education. The primary concerns are that the presence of CIs on university campuses might “interfere” with academic freedom and that China’s chief goal of establishing CIs is to promote its political soft power. This paper adopts qualitative content analysis and longitudinal analysis to examine the Australian mainstream media’s perceptions of CIs. The findings reveal both positive and negative views on CIs. The positive views include recognition of CIs as a valuable source of funding and resources that provide opportunities to engage with China. The negative views focused on the possibility of China “interfering” in academic independence and exerting undue influence. Australian media views on CIs thus mirror their appreciation of China’s economic strength on one hand and their fear of China’s rise on the other.

Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991 the world experienced a transformation from bipolarity to unipolarity, where the United States has become the global hegemon. However, the world appears to be evolving into a “multipolar world” where nations such as the BRICS block are likely to have strong economic influence in their respective geopolitical regions. Events currently taking place in Ukraine and Gaza seem to have accelerated this process, where nations such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa are exercising stronger influence in world affairs. According to the literature, several factors have been identified as major drivers of multipolarity, namely, China’s booming economic growth and rapid technological change throughout many parts of the world. These transformations pose challenges and opportunities to “middle sized” nations such as Australia. In order to analyze these, a SWOT analysis methodology was conducted for Australia, which found that Australia has much to gain in an emerging multipolar world, however, it needs to navigate these troubled waters with very astute diplomatic care.

While formal rules of group representation in China and most other countries address underrepresented groups concerning gender, race, and ethnicity, China’s practice extends to encompassing occupation and profession. The speciality highlights an unstudied question in terms of the widespread profession-oriented group representation (POGR) concept among the general public. We apply a mixed approach based on our own dataset containing the text from 45 professional internet forums and reveal that the public’s POGR concept arises from two mechanisms. The first, known as the disadvantaged groups with shared demand, leads individuals to perceive their own profession as a disadvantaged group with shared interests, prompting the call for professional representation in the legislature to champion these interests. The second mechanism, referred to as misperceptions about representation, involves the public’s misperceptions regarding the electoral system, the model of representation, and the deputies’ professional qualifications required to hold such a position. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of group representation concept and practice in China.

The U.S. attitude toward global climate governance is volatile, and its behavior is often constrained by its domestic politics. Studying the implementation of climate policy at the state level in the United States from the perspective of party politics and political polarization in the United States can provide important lessons for climate governance practices. Through a panel data model, this research analyzes the relationship between the party affiliations of governors in all 50 U.S. states and carbon dioxide emissions from 1997 to 2020. Based on this, the connection between political polarization and climate governance is discussed. Results indicate that the party affiliations of U.S. state governors significantly impact carbon dioxide emissions in their respective states; American democracy has the inherent flaw of failing to fulfill electoral promises; U.S. party politics is not conducive to the stable, long-term development of climate policies. These results reflect deeper societal contradictions and divides in the U.S., and the political polarization epitomized by the climate governance issue will have serious spillover effects on global climate governance.