EASC Final Study Guide

Anti-Secession Law: PRC law under Hu Jinatao, formalized non-peaceful means against Taiwan
if they tried to declare their independence
ASEAN China Free Trade Act: group of 10 countries including Indonesia, Thailand, and
Philippines, top trading partner for China. 2002 China overtakes ASEAN as top trading partner
as ASEAN gravitated toward China after the Asian Financial Crisis
Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC): established in 1989 to promote free trade, similar
to ASEAN. 21 members which include China and the US
Beijing Consensus: instituted by Deng Xioping post Mao, government plays more active role in
picking economic winners/losers. Alternative of Western capitalist model the Washington
Consensus
BRICS: Brazil, Russia, Indian, China, and South Africa New Development Bank. Finances these
newly developed countries for global influence/trade: excludes the USA.
Chen Shui-bian: first Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) President (Taiwan), 5 no’s, scandals
China-Africa Cooperation Forum: debt forgiveness
Chinese Communist Party: formed in 1923
Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty: 1996 treaty that bans all nuclear weapons
Confucius Institutes: 35 schools in SE Asia in 2001, promoting Chinese language/culture
Cross-Strait Service Trade Agreement: 2013 treaty between PRC and ROC aimed at liberalizing
trade services between the two economies. Was opposed by Sunflower Student Movement as
attempted ratification was through an undemocratic process
Dalian Wanda: multinational Chinese conglomerate of the entertainment industry, brought
Lost in Thailand to the US market via AMC.
Deng Xiaoping: CCP leader post Mao 2nd generation, nationalism over communism.
Gradual/stable power
Diaoyu Islands: 8 islets in East China Sea, good source of natural gas-disputes between
China/Japan: source of post WWII Sino-Japanese Tension
Foreign Invested Enterprises: employ 16% of China’s urban workforce, foreign investment in
China
Hu Jintao: 4th generation, decline of PLA (army) in politics, technocrat, mixed
international/domestic economic focus
Jiang Zemin: 3rd generation, flexible policymaking, rallying nationalism, economic privatization
Leading Small Groups: mechanism that deals with coordination of Chinese policy making
Lee Teng-hui: KMT leader, US visit upsets PRC leadership, called ROC-PRC state to state type
relations. Proponent for Taiwanization
Ma Ying-jeou: KMT party (Taiwan). Promoted social/economic ties with CCP decreasing
tension. Reassurance and moderation in cross-strait relations.
Mandopop: celebrity musicians/performers who evoke Taiwanese nativism while absorbing
pan-pacific/Asian styles. Gary from Five Star Billionaire is an example.
Middle-income trap: condition when economy begins development to reach middle income
status but is unable to progress to high-income status.
Nationalist Party (KMT): nationalist Party of China, political party in Taiwan. Supporters of KMT
fled to Taiwan after losing Chinese civil war against CCP. Chinese government prefers KMT over
DPP as the nationalist party are in favor in reunification of China
Nine-dash line: refers to PRCs claim that South China sea islands are historically part of China.
Was ruled for no historical basis, Beijing rejects the ruling.
One Belt One Road: mutually beneficial proposal to invest infrastructure to connect other
countries, especially those that are developing. Revealed by current leader Xi Jinping. AKA the
New Silk Road initiative
People’s Liberation Army PLA: armed forces of PRC (People’s Reublic of China)/CCP
Rebalance Policy: Obama’s policy strengthening Chinese interests in relations with Australia,
New Zealand, and pacific Island Countries
Scarborough Shoal: Triangle shape chain of reefs/rocks claimed by both PRC and Philippines.
Philippines wins the land. This land was part of the nine-dash line.
Sino-Vietnames Split: War between China/Vietnam over Cambodia
State Environmental Protection Agency: weak climate change actions, understaffed, dust
storms reaching japan/korea
State-owned enterprise (SOEs): companies in which majority of ownership control is held by
the government, tend to loose money.
Strategic and Economic Dialogue: initiative established by Obama and former president Hu to
discuss major issues like cybersecurity and economic policy
Sunflower Student Movement: anti cross-strait service trade agreement.
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense: conflict between South Korea and China due to Western
military presence: US deployed radar in South Korea which can look into China, upsetting PRC
Tiananmen Square: protests and massacre in 1989, PRC denies the occurrence. After crisis,
symbolic heart of Chinese politics.
Tasai Ing-wen: Current president of Taiwan. First female, unmarried president. Marriage
equality referendum/party rebuked in 2018.
Xi Jinping: 5th generation, tough stance on corruption, Assertive international disputes.
Revamped China’s approach to foreign policy.
Xinjiang: western Chinese province with Muslim detention centers. Poor treatment of
borderland minorities
Yasukuni War Shrine: source of tension between China/Japan: Japanese whitewashing history

Week 8
 Mainland China Energy consumption: 4 times the US level, worlds largest oil importer
 Supergas: shapes foreign investment and infrastructure projects. Product safety
concerns for renewable energy development in China portrayed in Lost in Thailand: high
pressure from economy
 Chinese Tourism in Thailand: spiritual escape acting as a thrilling safari. Post Lost in
Thailand: 60% increase of Chinese tourism to Thailand
 Shanzhai: counterfeit (imitating) products to keep up with economy
Week 9
 China’s 3 roles post-Mao in foreign relations: trade, investment, and aid
 Foreign Direct Investment (FDI): foreign invested enterprises accounts for 16% of urban
workforce employment, largest shares of foreign direct investments from Hong Kong,
Britain, and Japan resulting in Tax havens.
 Economic benefits from China’s Asian investments: deploys infrastructural overcapacity,
bridges coastal/interior development gap, lessens susceptibility to maritime regulation,
increases use of Chinese currency, better return on exchange reserves
 Multilateral Strategies: regional organizations that excluded US: ASEAN Plus Three
(China, Japan, South Korea), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), UN entry in
1971 although with friction due to UN human rights/democracy activism, strong relations
efforts with Australia to weaken US relations
 2016 UN Law of the Sea Tribunal: Philippines wins the disputed territory Scarborough
Shoal (in the China South Sea)
 5 Star Billionaire reasons to come to Shanghai: Phoebe comes to land herself a richman
and for job opportunities. Gary comes for the vast audience of the mainland market,
Justin to expand his business
Week 11
 Primary Goals of CCP Leadership: Regime survival, territorial unification with Taiwan,
military/economic advancements, become a major global player
 Vulnerabilities of CCP leadership: Xi Jinping’s personal excesses, socioeconomic unrest
(welfare/health/education), Pollution/energy crises, Xinjiang treatment of borderland
minorities
 China/US (Clinton) agreement of 3 no’s regarding Taiwan: no support for two china’s
(China/Taiwan), no support for Taiwanese independence, and no support for Taiwanese
representation in international organizations where statehood is required
 Ma Ying-jeou breakthroughs: President of the Republic of China 2008-2016, deepened
reassurance/engagement of PRC making it the largest trading partner/export market in
2013
Week 12
 PLA Navy: expanded role to protect the coastlines better, surveillance/missile-defense
systems, cruise missile programs, air force jets, cyberwar fare
 UN Peacekeeping: international arms/control agreements (for nuclear/chemical
weapons), provide aid for East Timor transition, provided civilian/troop assistance in
poor countries including Liberia/Haiti
 Japan Lingering Tension: China demands for WWII atrocity reparations, concerned with
Japanese militarism/expansionism, Japan’s cooperation with US/Taiwan, economic
stress
 South Korea (ROK) cooling: both countries had historical victimization from Japan and
favorability through Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Week 13
 Post Mao/Cold War decision making: improved transparency, more people involved,
more consultative/slower process, influence of younger specialists, prevailing secrecy on
key questions
  Key administrative groups: government (Leader), CCP, PLA
 Historical conditioning of CCP leadership ideology: Qing/Republican eras-Chinese
victimhood, Cold War: bipolar hostility/US great opponent, Post-Cold War-chinese
exceptionalism
 Cold War Maoist Internationlism: shared struggles with Africa being a third world
country, supported liberation movements with African students in China
 Chinese Uncertainties with Africa infrastructure projects for foreign investment:
increasing development gap, China not as 3rd world like country post Mao, saw better
opportunities in oil and competition against Africa for IMF and World Bank Aid
 China’s lag with Latin America: trade didn’t begin until post cold war due to oil needs,
China also threatens UN veto due to western interest of Taiwan
Week 14
 China’s Grievances towards US: American exceptionalism, US military support of Taiwan
(arms sales) and alliance building with China’s neighbors, US led human rights outcries,
belief that the US is determined to undermine the CCP
 US Grievances towards China: Cyber theft of intellectual and creative property, currency
manipulation, forced sharing of sensitive technology, growing trade deficit, US job
losses, human rights abuses
 Primary deterrents of US-China Confrontation: China’s insecure position in Asia-Pacific
due to US positive relations with neighboring states, scared that these neighbors can
align with US acting as a threat that could split China like the USSR.

Lost in Thailand
Relevance/Significance of the film’s Thai setting: Thailand is seen as an exotic break from
Beijing, a foreign paradise to discover oneself in that the Chinese find appealing. Chinese
perception of the country further justifies crazy/unusual settings and situations in the movie
Explanations for film’s domestic popularity vs lack of international success: flat characters,
film’s predictable plot, humor is immature and lost in translation
Film Plot: Xu travels to Thailand to propose super gas to shareholder in Thailand, is followed by
Gao who wants to sell to a French company. Goofy character is Wang.
Sutter
China’s status as a global superpower based on transformations in foreign relations: Debate is
whether China is involved in foreign politics only for the purpose of securing dominance on the
international stage. BRICS bank: shows tense relations with US (main competitor). Used to
invest infrastructure projects in Africa, then didn’t see self benefit and began competing against
Africa for IMF (International Monetary Fund)
Positive and Negative impacts of historical emigration on contemporary foreign relations:
Negative: USA’s deep prejudice against Chinese emigrants during gold rush (Exclusion act).
Japan segregating Chinese emigrants to walled ghettos.
Five Star Billionaire
Positive vs Negative resolutions for male/females: females get screwed over, males have
positive resolutions. Phoebe leaves Shanghai defeated, Yinghui gets wiped out financially by
Walter’s scam. Justin begins to figure out his life emotionally, Gary returns to the stage.
Counter-argument: Gary looses Phoebe after developing a close but one-sided virtual
relationship
Outsider/Insider Perceptions of Shanghai: Phoebe comes to Shanghai as a former factory
worker with the promise of a job. Yinghui comes to distance herself from breakup and for
business opportunities. Gary comes to continue is career. Everyone get’s destroyed.
Shanghai Calling
Film’s Hollywood stereotypes of China: perpetuates the stereotype that Chinese sell and
produce “knock-off” items that US already has patents on. Americatown doesn’t actually exist.
Mr. Lin hiring an actor as his lawyer.
Differences/similarities with Five Star in outsider perspectives of Shanghai’s transformation:
both show that there is a lot of business opportunity yet cheating scandals in Shanghai. Counter
agreement: Marcus was the one who ripped off Sam in China forging the inventor’s signature