The People's Republic of China (PRC) wants to become a key regional actor in the Arctic. PRC's underlying priority in the region is gaining access to commercial opportunities from trade and natural resources. To this end, PRC is building its domestic capacities for research and commercial development in the Arctic, increasing its involvement in multilateral forums on Arctic governance and deepening ties to Arctic nations, especially Russia.

Attitudes towards PRC among Arctic nations are diverging, but Beijing generally faces high levels of skepticism and opposition to its Arctic involvement, explicitly grounded in perceptions of PRC as a state undermining the rules-based international order and potential military build-up in the high north.

The analytical framework in this article builds on an outline authored by Exner-Pirot in 2012 (Exner-Pirot, 2012) to detail the current schools of thought within Arctic governance, and builds on it by including more recent developments in Arctic governance, incorporating the updated Arctic policies of most Arctic countries and connecting it to PRC.

This article contends that Beijing wants to change the status quo of Arctic governance and shift it towards a more accommodating approach to non-Arctic states. This article finds, based on the stated Arctic strategies of the eight Arctic states and PRC, that there are different views on Arctic governance where Arctic countries for the most part indicate an openness to a Chinese entry into the Arctic, albeit in diverging ways. This creates a complex governance scenario for PRC to navigate as it seeks to become a key Arctic player

Mangrove forests are vital to coastal protection, biodiversity support, and climate regulation. In the Niger Delta, these ecosystems are increasingly threatened by oil spill incidents linked to intensive petroleum activities. This study investigates the extent of mangrove degradation between 1986 and 2022 in the lower Niger Delta, specifically the region between the San Bartolomeo and Imo Rivers, using remote sensing and machine learning. Landsat 5 TM (1986) and Landsat 8 OLI (2022) imagery were classified using the Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithm. Classification accuracy was high, with overall accuracies of 98% (1986) and 99% (2022) and Kappa coefficients of 0.97 and 0.98. Healthy mangrove cover declined from 2804.37 km2 (58%) to 2509.18 km2 (52%), while degraded mangroves increased from 72.03 km2 (1%) to 327.35 km2 (7%), reflecting a 354.46% rise. Water bodies expanded by 101.17 km2 (5.61%), potentially due to dredging, erosion, and sea-level rise. Built-up areas declined from 131.85 km2 to 61.14 km2, possibly reflecting socio-environmental displacement. Statistical analyses, including Chi-square (χ2 = 1091.33, p < 0.001) and Kendall's Tau (τ = 1, p < 0.001), showed strong correlations between oil spills and mangrove degradation. From 2012 to 2022, over 21,914 barrels of oil were spilled, with only 38% recovered. Although paired t-tests and ANOVA results indicated no statistically significant changes at broad scales, localized ecological shifts remain severe. These findings highlight the urgent need for integrated environmental policies and restoration efforts to mitigate mangrove loss and enhance sustainability in the Niger Delta.

In the rapidly expanding Chinese high-tech industry, high employee turnover poses a significant challenge. This study employs a mixed-methods approach to explore the association between transformational leadership and turnover intentions, utilizing both survey responses and detailed interviews. Findings from this investigation demonstrate a strong negative correlation between transformational leadership and turnover intentions. Increased job satisfaction and organizational commitment, crucial factors for employee retention, mediate this relationship. The study underscores the strategic significance for high-tech enterprises in China to nurture transformational leadership as a means to mitigate turnover, thereby fostering a more engaged and dedicated workforce, and sustaining a competitive advantage in this dynamic industry.

Background: Kangyang tourism, a wellness tourism niche in China, integrates health preservation with tourism through natural and cultural resources. Despite a growing interest in Kangyang tourism, the factors driving tourist loyalty in this sector are underexplored. Methods: Using a sample of 413 tourists, this study employed Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM) to examine the influence of destination image, service quality, tourist satisfaction, and affective commitment on tourist loyalty. Results: The findings reveal that destination image and service quality positively affect tourist satisfaction, affective commitment, and loyalty. Tourist satisfaction and affective commitment are identified as critical drivers of tourist loyalty. Notably, affective commitment plays a stronger role in fostering loyalty compared to satisfaction. Conclusion: These results highlight the importance of a positive destination image and high service quality in enhancing tourist loyalty through increased emotional and psychological attachment. The findings inform strategies for stakeholders to improve Kangyang tourism’s growth by focusing on emotionally engaging experiences and service excellence.

With the rapid development of global e-commerce, cross-border e-commerce has become an important force in promoting international trade and economic globalization. Due to the rapid development of cross-border e-commerce, the number of online disputes is gradually increasing. These disputes demonstrate their complexity and diversity in terms of legal application, evidence acquisition, and enforcement. Tmall Global is a cross-border e-commerce platform under the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group. This study takes Tmall Global as an example to analyze the characteristics of disputes on this platform and explore the current situation of online disputes in cross-border e-commerce. Drawing on the experience of online dispute resolution in the European Union, ASEAN, and other regions, this article proposes a series of suggestions to improve China’s cross-border e-commerce online dispute resolution mechanism, including enhancing the platform’s own dispute resolution capabilities, strengthening international cooperation and artificial intelligence, optimizing dispute resolution processes using large data and cloud computing, strengthening consumer rights protection, and optimizing legal and regulatory frameworks. The aim is to provide an effective dispute resolution mechanism for China’s cross-border e-commerce platforms and provide useful reference for other countries.

This research aims to identify best practices and policy guidelines that foster sustainable urban ecotourism. As urban areas continue to expand, integrating ecotourism into urban planning emerges as a critical approach to sustainable development. This paper compares the policies and practices of urban ecotourism development in Thailand and China, aiming to construct a sustainable framework applicable to urban ecotourism development. Employing a comparative literature review, this research synthesizes findings from peer-reviewed journals, governmental reports, and case studies published between 2000 and 2024. The analysis focuses on the policies and practices adopted by Thailand and China to promote urban ecotourism, examining their effectiveness, challenges, and outcomes. The review shows distinct approaches in the two countries, with Thailand emphasizing community-based practices and stakeholder involvement and China primarily focusing on top-down policy initiatives for urban ecotourism development. Despite differing strategies, both countries demonstrate a commitment to integrating ecotourism into urban development plans. From the environmental, socio-cultural, and economic three dimensions, key successes include enhanced biodiversity conservation, increased local community participation, and improved tourist satisfaction. Challenges such as inadequate policy implementation, environmental degradation, and the sustainability of ecotourism practices are also discussed. The conclusion is that a holistic approach to urban ecotourism development that aligns policy and practice with the principles of sustainability is meaningful. The proposed framework offers actionable insights for policymakers, urban planners, and ecotourism practitioners aiming to use the potential of ecotourism as a tool for sustainable urban development in Thailand, China, and beyond.