<p>The Lancang-Mekong Co-operation Forum was held in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province during 23-25 November 2017. It went without attracting much policy or media attention in India. But the quiet conclusion of the Dian Chi Forum, as it was called, is a significant development in terms of the economic interactions between Yunnan and the rest of Asian region.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;In Yunnan, the Dian Chi Forum kindled academic as well as debates about the possibilities it offers for the economic development of the province. For many local scholars and officials, the Dian Chi Forum hold forth great potential. They believe, it can transform Yunnan from a backward province to a gateway to China&rsquo;s Asian neighbours.</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;Mekong river has been an important international river network for Asian integration. Mekong river originates in the mountains of Qinghai Province and known as Lancang in China. It flows Southward and enters into Yunnan, crossing eight prefectures and municipalities, mainly Nujiang, Lijiang, Dali, Baoshan, Linchang, Simao and Xishuangbanna. After it leaves China, the river flows down to five Southeast Asian countries; Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Lancang changes its name into the Mekong when it enters southeast Asia. Although the drainage area of the river in Southeast Asian countries is four times larger than that of China, Yunnan accounts for more than 50% drainage area in China. Historically, this geographical region formed by Mekong River was an important trade corridor. There are pieces of evidences of commercial navigation and movement of goods and commodities through this network between China and Southeast Asia.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Yunnan is one of the important border provinces of China which had historical trade connections with India. The ancient Southern Silk Road connected India and Yunnan through Myanmar. In fact, long before China&rsquo;s other provinces began opening up to the outside world, Yunnan had more open trade relations with her Asian neighbours. There is evidence of flourishing tea trade and other commodities between India and China through this route.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, Yunnan lagged behind in economic development compared to the coastal regions of China, largely, owing to her geographical location in the landlocked hinterland. Over the years, the provincial government formulated preferential policies for Yunnan&rsquo;s agricultural products, such as flowers, vegetables, fruits and tobacco. The government has also protected the local mineral products and energy bases. To a large extent, these interventions have helped in creating a market for its products within China.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;In recent years, the volume of trade between Yunnan and Southeast Asian countries have increased to USD 14.3 billion in 2014, accounting for 48% of Yunnan&rsquo;s external trade. Yunnan has also become a transit route for finished goods coming from the coastal provinces of China, such Guangdong which are exported through Yunnan to Southeast economies.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>However, the border trade between Yunnan and these countries are decreasing due to change in preferential policies of the central government. To promote cross-border exchange, Yunnan provincial government have further speeded up the establishment of Border-Economic zones in many parts of Yunnan. Besides trade, the construction of international passageways from China to the Indian Ocean as well as the Oil and Gas Pipeline between China and Myanmar have been projected. All these help to bolster Yunnan as an important international passageway for transportation, gas, energy, trade and information.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>Yunnan is the home to nearly twenty-five ethnic minorities in China. Since the late 1990s, the province has opened this area to domestic tourist and visitors. The rich cultural repositories of the minority nationalities, including their music, costumes, and dance are exhibited to the wider public. Kunming has been transformed into yet another important city of China as some of the important mega-events like Kunming Horticultural Expo, Annual China-South Asia and China-Southeast Asia Think-Tank Forum, South Asia Trade and Commodities fare are hosted by the city.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;Besides, the number of infrastructure connectivity projects like highways, railways, aviation and waterways have been completed which not only connects the main Kunming urban region to remote border mountainous areas but also make the flow of trade in terms of goods and services possible between Yunnan and neighbouring regions in South Asia and Southeast Asia.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>However, there are lingering questions as to what extent these large-scale development projects and market integration of the province with Southeast Asia have benefited local communities. The government-funded transnational linkages like Economic Corridors, Regional co-operation and Cross-Border economic zones are strong incentives to the growth of the provincial economy. But whether they brought prosperity to the local population living in border regions are remained a mute point.&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;Most of these border economies are home to several ethnic minorities and trade and tourism have not only uprooted them from their natural habitats but also created more vulnerabilities in catching up this new drive to achieve higher economic growth</p>


Ethnic minorities have not only got uprooted from their natural habitats but have been made vulnerable in the pursuit for higher economic growth.

The Lancang-Mekong Co-operation Forum was held in Kunming, the capital city of Yunnan province during 23-25 November 2017. It went without attracting much policy or media attention in India. But the quiet conclusion of the Dian Chi Forum, as it was called, is a significant development in terms of the economic interactions between Yunnan and the rest of Asian region. In Yunnan, the Dian Chi Forum kindled academic as well as debates about the possibilities it offers for the economic development of the province. For many local scholars and officials, the Dian Chi Forum hold forth great potential. They believe, it can transform Yunnan from a backward province to a gateway to China’s Asian neighbours. Mekong river has been an important international river network for Asian integration. Mekong river originates in the mountains of Qinghai Province and known as Lancang in China. It flows Southward and enters into Yunnan, crossing eight prefectures and municipalities, mainly Nujiang, Lijiang, Dali, Baoshan, Linchang, Simao and Xishuangbanna. After it leaves China, the river flows down to five Southeast Asian countries; Myanmar, Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. Lancang changes its name into the Mekong when it enters southeast Asia. Although the drainage area of the river in Southeast Asian countries is four times larger than that of China, Yunnan accounts for more than 50% drainage area in China. Historically, this geographical region formed by Mekong River was an important trade corridor. There are pieces of evidences of commercial navigation and movement of goods and commodities through this network between China and Southeast Asia. Yunnan is one of the important border provinces of China which had historical trade connections with India. The ancient Southern Silk Road connected India and Yunnan through Myanmar. In fact, long before China’s other provinces began opening up to the outside world, Yunnan had more open trade relations with her Asian neighbours. There is evidence of flourishing tea trade and other commodities between India and China through this route. However, Yunnan lagged behind in economic development compared to the coastal regions of China, largely, owing to her geographical location in the landlocked hinterland. Over the years, the provincial government formulated preferential policies for Yunnan’s agricultural products, such as flowers, vegetables, fruits and tobacco. The government has also protected the local mineral products and energy bases. To a large extent, these interventions have helped in creating a market for its products within China. In recent years, the volume of trade between Yunnan and Southeast Asian countries have increased to USD 14.3 billion in 2014, accounting for 48% of Yunnan’s external trade. Yunnan has also become a transit route for finished goods coming from the coastal provinces of China, such Guangdong which are exported through Yunnan to Southeast economies. However, the border trade between Yunnan and these countries are decreasing due to change in preferential policies of the central government. To promote cross-border exchange, Yunnan provincial government have further speeded up the establishment of Border-Economic zones in many parts of Yunnan. Besides trade, the construction of international passageways from China to the Indian Ocean as well as the Oil and Gas Pipeline between China and Myanmar have been projected. All these help to bolster Yunnan as an important international passageway for transportation, gas, energy, trade and information. Yunnan is the home to nearly twenty-five ethnic minorities in China. Since the late 1990s, the province has opened this area to domestic tourist and visitors. The rich cultural repositories of the minority nationalities, including their music, costumes, and dance are exhibited to the wider public. Kunming has been transformed into yet another important city of China as some of the important mega-events like Kunming Horticultural Expo, Annual China-South Asia and China-Southeast Asia Think-Tank Forum, South Asia Trade and Commodities fare are hosted by the city. Besides, the number of infrastructure connectivity projects like highways, railways, aviation and waterways have been completed which not only connects the main Kunming urban region to remote border mountainous areas but also make the flow of trade in terms of goods and services possible between Yunnan and neighbouring regions in South Asia and Southeast Asia. However, there are lingering questions as to what extent these large-scale development projects and market integration of the province with Southeast Asia have benefited local communities. The government-funded transnational linkages like Economic Corridors, Regional co-operation and Cross-Border economic zones are strong incentives to the growth of the provincial economy. But whether they brought prosperity to the local population living in border regions are remained a mute point. Most of these border economies are home to several ethnic minorities and trade and tourism have not only uprooted them from their natural habitats but also created more vulnerabilities in catching up this new drive to achieve higher economic growth

Opinion: Will South Asia benefit from development of Mekong valley

<p>Well before the United Nations decided to dedicate several days of the year celebrating one or the other women issues, China had taken special initiatives to ameliorate the condition of women in that country. The latest among these measures is the passage of an anti-domestic violence law in December 2015.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p>

<p>The new legislation signifies one of the novel state initiatives to address gender inequality in the domestic sphere. It is mainly the government-run women&rsquo;s organisation like All-China Women&rsquo;s Federation (ACWF) along with other women&rsquo;s networks which created positive legal awareness about women&rsquo;s rights and, thus,&nbsp;sensitised the Chinese government to formulate laws regarding these issues.</p>

<p>The government in China has managed the social conflict by adopting various social transformative measures from time to time. Immediately after the revolution in early the 1950s, China has formulated the first marriage law which addresses women&rsquo;s equal right to choose life partners. Another important step towards gender equality was the land reform law which ensured women&rsquo;s equal right to property, especially in terms of land entitlement.</p>

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<h5>The Chinese public policies on women have been quite empowering in the sense that women&rsquo;s participation in the economic production was ensured through different mechanisms.</h5>
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<p>So, the government and the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) sought to address gender equality by granting rights to women in personal spheres and also in public spheres. Over the years, the government has also amended these laws on marriage and property to bring new complexities in the different social milieu and, thus, address women&rsquo;s rights pertaining to the right to get a divorce, share in the property and the maintenance rights.</p>

<p>The Chinese public policies on women have been quite empowering in the sense that women&rsquo;s participation in the economic production was ensured through different mechanisms. Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the CPC for almost half a decade coined the phrase &lsquo;Women hold up half the sky&rsquo; to project women as good workers and capable labouring hands. The phrases like &lsquo;Iron Girls&rsquo; and &lsquo;What Men can do Women can do too&rsquo; really captured the equality rhetoric of that era.</p>

<p>Women participated equally in heavy work and also outside the home which is otherwise known as men&rsquo;s domains. In the Chinese official rhetoric, the women were portrayed as role models to be followed by others. Millions of women came out of their home and took active participation in state-run economic and social construction projects.</p>

<p>Moreover, women in China from its imperial past has proved to be most successful whether it is Empress Dowarger CiXi who holds a great political authority in imperial era or Madame Song Qing Liang who made a great contribution in the new People&rsquo;s Republic to female actress Gongli Known for films like Red Sorghum and Raise the Red Lantern, has won awards from the Berlin International Film Festival to Cannes. She was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2000.</p>

<p>Now, women in China have also made a remarkable achievement in the lesser-known women&rsquo;s spheres. It ranges from Guo Jianmei, first public interest lawyer in China, Hu Shuli, the editor-in-chief of Caixin media group and made her name as an investigative journalist. Women are able to enter the domains which were usually dominated by men.</p>

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<h5>Women in China now are leading the economic spheres and women really control the assets and most of the successful entrepreneurs are women in China.</h5>
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<p>Women at a very young age of 30-40 years are able to make a breakthrough in sectors, such as finance, banking and real estate. Soho China CEO Zhang Xin, the real estate developer has transformed Beijing&rsquo;s skyline and Liu Qing, CEO Didi Kuaidi, online taxi services in Shanghai, also made a mark in online shopping commerce platforms.</p>

<p>Women in China now are leading the economic spheres and women really control the assets and most of the successful entrepreneurs are women in China. Women entrepreneurs are moving away from industries traditionally associated with women, such as garments and beauty products and venturing into sectors usually dominated by men, such as digital products and furniture.</p>

<p>Women command greater visibility in all the spheres of China&rsquo;s economy as well as social life. For a visitor who first time travels to China especially from India the public portrayal of confident and successful women images are quite an astonishing phenomenon. Being an immigration officer to taxi drivers, from bank to hotel managers, laoban (Boss) is a common everyday vocabulary used to depict Chinese women&rsquo;s lives.</p>

<p>In China, women are no longer the &lsquo;iron girls&rsquo; of the socialist era, but they have become wealthier compared to women in any part of the world. These women&rsquo;s images have often been displayed by the state-run media channels as &lsquo;capable women&rsquo; who have really carved out space for themselves.</p>

<p><em>(Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).</em></p>


Women in China now are leading the economic spheres and they have become wealthier compared to women in any part of the world

Well before the United Nations decided to dedicate several days of the year celebrating one or the other women issues, China had taken special initiatives to ameliorate the condition of women in that country. The latest among these measures is the passage of an anti-domestic violence law in December 2015. The new legislation signifies one of the novel state initiatives to address gender inequality in the domestic sphere. It is mainly the government-run women’s organisation like All-China Women’s Federation (ACWF) along with other women’s networks which created positive legal awareness about women’s rights and, thus, sensitised the Chinese government to formulate laws regarding these issues. The government in China has managed the social conflict by adopting various social transformative measures from time to time. Immediately after the revolution in early the 1950s, China has formulated the first marriage law which addresses women’s equal right to choose life partners. Another important step towards gender equality was the land reform law which ensured women’s equal right to property, especially in terms of land entitlement. The Chinese public policies on women have been quite empowering in the sense that women’s participation in the economic production was ensured through different mechanisms. × So, the government and the ruling Communist Party of China (CPC) sought to address gender equality by granting rights to women in personal spheres and also in public spheres. Over the years, the government has also amended these laws on marriage and property to bring new complexities in the different social milieu and, thus, address women’s rights pertaining to the right to get a divorce, share in the property and the maintenance rights. The Chinese public policies on women have been quite empowering in the sense that women’s participation in the economic production was ensured through different mechanisms. Mao Zedong, the Chairman of the CPC for almost half a decade coined the phrase ‘Women hold up half the sky’ to project women as good workers and capable labouring hands. The phrases like ‘Iron Girls’ and ‘What Men can do Women can do too’ really captured the equality rhetoric of that era. Women participated equally in heavy work and also outside the home which is otherwise known as men’s domains. In the Chinese official rhetoric, the women were portrayed as role models to be followed by others. Millions of women came out of their home and took active participation in state-run economic and social construction projects. Moreover, women in China from its imperial past has proved to be most successful whether it is Empress Dowarger CiXi who holds a great political authority in imperial era or Madame Song Qing Liang who made a great contribution in the new People’s Republic to female actress Gongli Known for films like Red Sorghum and Raise the Red Lantern, has won awards from the Berlin International Film Festival to Cannes. She was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace in 2000. Now, women in China have also made a remarkable achievement in the lesser-known women’s spheres. It ranges from Guo Jianmei, first public interest lawyer in China, Hu Shuli, the editor-in-chief of Caixin media group and made her name as an investigative journalist. Women are able to enter the domains which were usually dominated by men. Women in China now are leading the economic spheres and women really control the assets and most of the successful entrepreneurs are women in China. × Women at a very young age of 30-40 years are able to make a breakthrough in sectors, such as finance, banking and real estate. Soho China CEO Zhang Xin, the real estate developer has transformed Beijing’s skyline and Liu Qing, CEO Didi Kuaidi, online taxi services in Shanghai, also made a mark in online shopping commerce platforms. Women in China now are leading the economic spheres and women really control the assets and most of the successful entrepreneurs are women in China. Women entrepreneurs are moving away from industries traditionally associated with women, such as garments and beauty products and venturing into sectors usually dominated by men, such as digital products and furniture. Women command greater visibility in all the spheres of China’s economy as well as social life. For a visitor who first time travels to China especially from India the public portrayal of confident and successful women images are quite an astonishing phenomenon. Being an immigration officer to taxi drivers, from bank to hotel managers, laoban (Boss) is a common everyday vocabulary used to depict Chinese women’s lives. In China, women are no longer the ‘iron girls’ of the socialist era, but they have become wealthier compared to women in any part of the world. These women’s images have often been displayed by the state-run media channels as ‘capable women’ who have really carved out space for themselves. (Disclaimer: The author writes here in a personal capacity).

Opinion: Women in China are wealthier than others

Author

Zee News Rajasthan

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Ritu Agarwal

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