Vice President Liu Hongcai Visits Timor Leste,Indonesia and the Republic of Korea

正As early as in the Han Dynasty,Chinese people started to travel all the way to Southeast Asia.Chinese merchants used to sail southwards in winter following the northwest monsoon,going all the way to today’s Indonesian archipelago and make homebound trips the next year following the southeast monsoon.At the beginning of the 15th century,these voyages reached a crescendo,with     

A Promising Future for People-to-people Connectivity:Sidelight of CAFIU delegation's visit to Thailand,Sri Lanka and Nepal

正At the invitation of Thai-Chinese Culture and Economy Association,Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association and Nepal Council of World Affairs,Mr.Liu Hongcai,CAFIU Vice President,former Ambassador to the DPRK and former IDCPC Vice Minister,headed a CAFIU delegation to the three countries from May 17 to26.CAFIU Deputy Secretary-General Zheng Yao was also in the delegation.During the visit,Mr.Liu Hongcai met with Suthep Thaugsuban,former Deputy Prime Minister and     

CAFIU Vice-President Zhang Baowen Visits Sri Lanka,Brunei Darussalam and Republic of Korea

<正>At the invitation of Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association,Brunei-China Friendship Association and National Strategy Institute of ROK,Mr.Zhang Baowen,Vice-Chairman of NPC Standing Committee,Chairman of the Central Committee of China Democratic League and CAFIU Vice-     

Eyes wide shut: persistent conflict and liberal peace-building in Nepal and Sri Lanka

The decisive, albeit different, endings of armed conflict in Sri Lanka and Nepal and subsequent post-war developments challenge key assumptions about conflict that have informed post-Cold War international efforts to produce peace in such conflict zones. International intervention—including in Sri Lanka and Nepal—characterises armed conflict as sustained by specific political economies that can only be stably resolved by establishing liberal democracy and market economics. This paper examines liberal peace engagement in Sri Lanka and Nepal to challenge a crucial assumption of the persistent conflict thesis, namely the separation between political contestation and armed conflict. It argues that the divergent post-conflict outcomes of continuing ethnic polarisation in Sri Lanka and constitutional reform in Nepal reveal strong continuities in the dynamics of pre-war, war and post-war politics. This continuity challenges the presumed separation of politics and violence that drove international engagement to produce liberal peace and suggests that such engagement, far from encouraging reform, may have (inadvertently) sustained conflict in both cases.     

CAFIU Delegation Visits Nepal and India

At the invitation of Nepal Council of World Affairs (NCWA) and India Delhi Study Group (DSG), a 4-member CAFIU delegation headed by Mr. Xu Jianguo, Secretary-General of CAFIU visited Nepal and India from March 3 to 13.Duringthe visit in Nepal,the delegati…     

CAFIU President Visits Malaysia and Cambodia

At the invitation of the Senate of Malaysia and the Senate of Cambodia,a delegation of Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU) headed by Mr. Li Guixian,Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and President of CAFIU paid a friendly visit to the two countries from December 13 to 23,2006. The visit has enhanced the China-Malaysia and China-Cambodia friendship and mutual understanding.     

The Presidential Election of Sri Lanka and China-Sri Lanka Relations

<正>Sri Lanka was namedSimhalauipain ancient times and it was a south-Asian island with a recorded history of more than 2,000 years.On February 4,1948,the country formally announced independence and adoptedCeylonas the state name.In August 1978,the country changed its name toThe Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaorSri Lankafor short.     

Speech Delivered by Liu Hongcai,Vice-President of the Chinese Association for International Understanding

<正>It’s a great pleasure to gather with you at the opening ceremony of the World Sinology Lecture to discuss the values of the Chinese modernisation to our times and the significance of the Chinese civilisation to this world.On behalf of the Chinese Association for International Understanding (CAFIU),I wish to extend warm welcome to all of you and express heartfelt thanks to our co-host Beijing Language and Culture University (BLCU).     

Terrorism,the LTTE and the conflict in Sri Lanka

For decades, a number of developing countries have been adversely affected by terrorism, with little sympathy or support from Western governments, in particular. The attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington, DC, on 11 September 2001, however, have made the world's sole superpower and its allies painfully aware of the devastation caused by such action. This article analyses how the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LITE), a terrorist group seeking to create a separate state in northeastern Sri Lanka, has been pushing the limits of international tolerance in this regard for almost two decades. While increased international action against terrorism is necessary to stem this destructive menace, the Sri Lankan state must also put forward a durable political solution to the ethnic problem. Ultimately, it would be a mistake for Western governments to allow their frustrations with the slow pace of reform in Sri Lanka to be interpreted as empathy with a terroristic cause.     

Youth employment and post-war development in Jaffna,northern Sri Lanka

Jaffna District in northern Sri Lanka has recently emerged from three decades of violence and isolation, leading to a diverse array of political, social and economic issues. This article critically analyses the links between youth employment and the post-war reconstruction and development of this region. Unemployment among youth is regarded as a potential threat to the stability of the country during the post-war period, and it is argued that only through the active engagement of Sri Lanka’s youth population can the threat of a resurgence in violence be fully eliminated. The article, which is based on recent field research, examines the extent of youth unemployment within Jaffna District, and considers how government, non-government and community-based actors are working together to solve related problems.     

斯里兰卡民族冲突的根源、发展及前景

独立以来,斯里兰卡的民族冲突愈演愈烈,最后竟演变成了旷日持久的内战。而造成此种情况的既有英国殖民统治所留遗产的远因,又有独立后政府政策偏差的近因,还有印度干预的国际原因。经过几十年的冲突和内战,双方均感精疲力衰,却又都无法实现各自的目标。在外界的积极斡旋下,双方终于在2002年签署了永久性停火协议,和平的曙光似已照耀斯里兰卡的大地。然而3年又将过去,真正的和平并未到来,斯里兰卡的民族和平之路充满了太多的不确定因素。     

Feminism,nationalism, and labour in post-civil war Northern Province of Sri Lanka

This viewpoint highlights the paradox of low labour force participation and high unemployment among women at a time of growing educational levels of women in the former conflict-affected Northern Province of Sri Lanka. It highlights the rise of ethno-feminism and sub-nationalism that undermine what few opportunities open up for women in terms of employment and livelihood opportunities, thereby weakening the peacebuilding efforts of various stakeholders.     

“后猛虎时代”斯里兰卡反分裂形势及民族关系分析

在斯里兰卡,民族关系与分裂主义始终呈双线演进的态势。在军事上击败猛虎组织之后,斯里兰卡的民族问题并没有得到彻底的解决。在后猛虎时代,斯里兰卡反分裂形势及民族关系仍然严峻。一方面,国内的暴力分裂主义和国外泰米尔散居者的非暴力分裂主义仍然存在及加速整合;另一方面,国内的民族关系未见好转,泰米尔政治势力不断被边缘化,而政府的民族政策仍未明朗。     

Secretary-General Ni Jian Headed a Delegation to Visit ROK, Japan and Sri Lanka

<正>At the invitation of National Strategy Institute of ROK (NSI), Japan&China Technological Youth Interchange Society and Sri Lanka-China Friendship Association (SLCFA), CAFIU’s Secretary-General Ni Jian headed a five-member delegation to visit the three countries from March 24 to April 2.     

Corruption and conflict: connections and consequences in war-torn Sri Lanka

In the transition from war to peace, one key challenge is to ensure that those who gained something from the war can be convinced to support the peace. At the same time, however, it is crucial to avoid reproducing corrupt practices and inequalities that fuelled the conflict. The problem of corruption during post-war peace-building has gained considerable attention recently, academically as well as in policy-making circles. This exploratory case study of Sri Lanka traces and problematises the complex linkages between corruption and conflict at the shift from war to peace, building on field research in Sri Lanka before and after the end of the war between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009. The article illustrates how global resource flows and politics have enabled conflict-fuelling corruption in Sri Lanka, and how local experiences of corruption feed into the popular grievances which have both caused and kept the conflict going. The end of the war has not presented a break with the corruption-conflict links of the wartime—and these connections will have implications for reconstruction and reconciliation in the country.     

Remarks by Liu Li,President of Beijing Language and Culture University

<正>We are gathering here today to jointly launch the opening ceremony of the World Sinology Lecture.On behalf of BLCU,I’d like to express the warmest welcome to all the leaders,experts and guests attending this event online and offline.     

在危机和挑战中发展的斯里兰卡服装业

斯里兰卡的服装业起步于上个世纪70年代末,现在已经成为该国实力雄厚的经济部门。但是该产业依然面临危机和挑战,主要是欧盟超普惠制待遇的不确定性和国际金融风暴的影响。虽然有危机和挑战,但斯国该产业也面临发展机遇,战争的结束使斯里兰卡有望成为“印度之香港”,这给生产世界知名品牌的服装业带来了商机。几十年过去了,欧洲的消费者已经接受并需要斯里兰卡价廉物美的服装。加之,斯国该产业也采取了有效的措施同世界知名品牌合作,打形象牌,借助旅游业发展服装业,吸引印度和其他地区的投资等。服装业有望成为斯里兰卡发展的新亮点。