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No 4 (2025)
Top problem
China – USA: Model 2025. Is a New Triangle “Russia – China – USA” Possible?
Abstract
The article examines the results of J.Biden’s policy towards China, the specifics of Chinese-American relations during D.Trump’s first presidential term (2017–2020) and the initial period of his second administration, including an analysis of trade, economic, military and political ties, and the specifics of the regional and global positioning of the United States and China in 2025. The author examines the problem of how the interdependence of the two powers manifests itself in various spheres in the context of globalization and offers an analysis of the most probable scenarios for the development of bilateral contacts for 2025–2028. It is noted that the following will become areas of increased conflict: trade and tariff wars, restrictions on American investment in technology and infrastructure, restrictions on China’s export of rare earth metals, a reduction in American hydrocarbon imports to China, etc. Special attention is paid to the study of competition in the field of digital economy and artificial intelligence, the reasons for China’s success in the fields of high technology. The prospects for the formation of a new triangle “Russia – China – USA” are unlikely. A trilateral, coordinated agenda on the economy, ecology, finance, security and transport is not in sight.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(4):5-12
5-12
Politics, economics
Mining Sector Neocolonialism in the Alliance of Sahel States
Abstract
The article touches upon the practical aspects of the consolidation of neocolonialism as the dominant political-economic practice in the mining sector of the Alliance of Sahel States. Modern neocolonialism in the region covers all spheres of mining: rare, uranium, ferrous, non-ferrous, rare-earth metals – most of them are extracted by large transnational corporations, which are not always interested in establishing conditions for the resolution of social and economic problems in the region. This creates a contradiction between the sovereignty of the three Sahel states (in particular, sovereignty as the provision of public goods) and the profit-making of foreign TNCs from access to natural resources. Despite state opposition to neocolonial practices in the mining sector, international TNCs largely maintain their own production enclaves with stable access to water and other infrastructure separate from the state and local population in need.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(4):13-20
13-20
Counterterrorism Activities in the Lake Chad Basin: Challenges of Effectiveness
Abstract
The proliferation of Islamist organizations has become an integral aspect of the evolving global order and a significant factor in shaping Africa’s political development. Islamist groups increasingly adapt their combat tactics and strategies, forging alliances with foreign extremist organizations. This shift transforms intrastate conflicts into transnational ones, exacerbating challenges for African governments and compelling them to develop new frameworks for security cooperation. Over time, states across the continent have come to perceive the rise of radical Islamism as a threat to peace and stability across Africa as a whole, rather than to individual conflict-affected nations. This recognition has spurred the creation of numerous ad hoc security initiatives, joint military operations, and multinational military structures aimed at countering terrorism. Examples include the ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG), which participated in resolving armed conflicts in Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau, and Côte d’Ivoire; the Regional Operational Task Force to combat the Lord’s Resistance Army; the G5 Sahel; and others. This article examines the activities of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), established in the mid-2010s to counter Islamist groups in the Lake Chad Basin.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(4):21-29
21-29
Current State of Shipbuilding in China and Directions of Development of the Industry in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025)
Abstract
In 2010 China became the world’s largest shipbuilding power, although in 1949 China had virtually no navy, let alone a shipbuilding base. This success was made possible, first of all, due to the active participation of the state. In this article, the author analyzes the state of shipbuilding at the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan: achievements and bottlenecks. Despite the fact that the country has become a world leader and one of the world’s largest ship exporters in terms of total shipbuilding output, it should be noted that China specializes in low-value-added ships with simple mass-produced technological solutions (bulk carriers, container ships, and partly oil tankers). By the beginning of the 14th Five-Year Plan, China had lost its main advantage the availability of cheap labor. In the current five-year plan, shipbuilding is mentioned as one of the industries for which tasks have been set to increase the level of modernization and optimization of production, as well as to enhance the competitiveness of the industry. China needs to transform its shipbuilding industry, which means moving towards building ships that run on alternative energy sources, smart ships, and, as a result, producing products with high added value.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(4):30-38
30-38
Formation of Islamic Education in Ingushetia: Local and Middle Eastern Aspects
Abstract
In the period following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Ingushetia, a Russian province in the North Caucasus, experienced a significant increase in demand for Islam and related religious education. As a result of this growing demand, Islamic educational institutions, including higher schools, began to appear in the province. However, scholars hardly covered the issue of the emergence and development of the religious education in Ingushetia. At the same time, due to the anti-religious policy during the Soviet era, the links to the pre-revolutionary religious tradition were almost completely lost, and it was reborn anew. The religious education has been forming under entangled conditions. On the one hand, many Muslim scholars who had mastered Islamic sciences in the Middle East appeared there. On the other hand, the loss of previous socio-ideological guidelines in secular schools and universities has made adat, the traditional law, an important educational tool that coexists alongside the resurgent Islam.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(4):39-46
39-46
Pages of history
The Formation of a Model of Indian Federalism (on the Anniversary of the Adoption of the Government of India Act 1935)
Abstract
2025 will be marked by an important historical anniversary related to the 90th anniversary of the adoption of the Government of India Act, which laid down a number of important principles for the subsequent federal structure of the Republic of India. The last law in history on the administration of a key British colony, enacted in August 1935, was the result of lengthy discussions and a complex compromise of political forces, both in India itself and in the metropole. Despite the desire of the colonial authorities to retain key managerial functions, the Act laid important foundations for the formation and development of the provincial self-government system and served as a serious factor in the consolidation of the political interests of the leading ethnic and religious groups of the Indian population. The main result of the introduction of this law was the beginning of the formation of a pan-Indian system of federal government, which provided for a wide degree of autonomy for individual provinces, as well as the introduction of clear mechanisms for the division of powers between central and regional government bodies. At the same time, the contradictions caused by the implementation of the Act were an important prerequisite for the subsequent partition of British India along religious lines.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(4):47-56
47-56
Post-graduate tribune
Sterotypes and Realities of Female Higher Education in Japan in the 21st Century
Abstract
There has been a negative phenomenon of significant gender gap in the educational environment, as well as gender-oriented specialties in recent decades in Japan. The article details the history of gender stereotypes in women’s higher education in Japan and their impact on the present day. The cultural and historical context also has a great influence on higher education in Japan. The author examined in depth the relationship between traditional concepts of succession and suretyship, the role of women in Japanese society, the country’s labor market and higher education in the context of its impact on female students and female professors. Women’s universities also has not contributed to the resolution of overdue problems. However, all of this has prompted the Japanese government to introduce reforms to address the gendered nature of a number of majors, which not only affects career prospects and salaries, but also the creation of an effective role model for women in the educational sphere.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(4):57-64
57-64
Culture, literature, art
The Vietnamese Myth of the Dragon and the Fairy in a Modern Context
Abstract
The article analyzes the myth of the dragon Lac Long Quan and the fairy Au Co, which occupies an important place in Vietnamese culture, in a modern context. A complex of aspects of this myth, reflecting different aspects of the life of Vietnamese society, is systematically examined; there are 15 aspects, including religious, historical, cultural, linguistic and others. Based on the example of this myth, it is concluded that, in conditions of a shortage of archaeological artifacts, ancient written sources, and archival documents, the study of myths, legends and stories can to a certain extent help fill in the blank spots in history. Although works of folklore do not always have a specific historical basis, they make it possible to reconstruct important events and understand general trends in the history of a particular country. The author notes that, through the analysis of myths, establishing a connection between the past and the present, it is possible to identify the causes and features of some modern processes and phenomena characteristic of the country under study.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(4):65-73
65-73
Africa on the Stage of Soviet Musical Theaters
Abstract
Traditionally, ballet productions have been studied from the perspective of choreographic, musical, and scenographic solutions. However, the materials behind ballet performances also hold significance as reflections of state cultural policy. During the Soviet era, ballet became a channel for disseminating key ideas related to domestic politics and international diplomacy. Ballet productions echoed shifts in the USSR’s relations with other countries. Drawing on African-themed ballets (“Little Stork”, 1937; “The Path of Thunder”, 1958), this article demonstrates how Soviet ballet conveyed ideas about the African continent, its international standing, and the USSR’s role there. Libretti and production materials are preserved in the Central State Archive of Literature and Art in St. Petersburg. These materials reveal how Soviet perceptions shifted from abstract notions of African countries to a more nuanced understanding of individual nations’ specific contexts and how this transition expanded Soviet understanding of the African continent.
Asia & Africa today. 2025;(4):74-82
74-82