SPIS TREŚCI

TABLE OF CONTENTS

WSTĘP

INTRODUCTION

China’s Foreign Investment Law: Towards Improving the Legal and Institutional Environment for Foreign Investors

The article aims to present the main changes of China’s foreign investment law with a focus on the Foreign Investment Law and its implementing, effective from January 1, 2020. They are overarching and concerning investors present on the Chinese market and those planning to expand into the market through foreign direct investments. The following research hypothesis was verified: The Chinese Foreign Investment Law and its implementing entail many beneficial changes from the foreign investors’ perspective. An in-depth analysis of legal texts is the main research method employed to verify the research hypothesis. Key findings: The FIL, its implementation and the further shortening of the prohibitions and restrictions on foreign investors included in the negative lists are important steps towards liberalisation in foreign investors’ access to the Chinese market, offering them opportunities to invest capital. They create a conducive institutional and legal environment for foreign investors compared to the previous legislation. However, further action is needed to address regulatory flaws, increase regulatory transparency, and accelerate the pace of change.

Chinese authorities have taken decisive steps to tackle violations of intellectual property (IP) rights in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The National People’s Congress (NPC) adopted a new amendment to China’s criminal law on December 26, 2020. These regulations entered into force on March 1, 2021. The article aims to draw attention to the recent developments and ways to fight against the IP infringement in China. The study focuses on the IP courts in China and then analyzes the recent amendment to Chinese criminal law. Therefore, it is based on the descriptive and dogmatic methods. The article seeks to answer the question of whether the regulations are effective and significantly prevent the spread of IP infringements in China. It brings us to the conclusion that China’s accession to the WTO was a turning point that influenced the development and the improvement of domestic IP regime. Hence, China became a country with complex, multifaceted, and contentious environment regarding IP rights. One of the most significant changes concern the establishment of IP courts across China. It is too early to determine whether these solutions are effective due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic in China.

Challenges and directions of activity of president Yoon Suk Yeol’s administration

The purpose of the article is to describe the 2022 South Korean presidential election against the backdrop of a paradigm shift and to show the challenges and directions of Yoon Suk Yeol’s new administration. The author focuses on the research problems present in the new South Korean politics. Elements of change and continuity, which were also present in previous administrations are highlighted. In May 2022, Yoon Suk Yeol was sworn into the South Korea’s highest office. Yoon’s win in the presidential election ended a trend in which a decade of progressive rule was followed by a change to conservative rule. Since 1998, progressive and conservative presidents have alternated every two terms. The minimal difference in votes in favor of the conservative candidate reflected the divisions and social preferences of Koreans who favored a change from progressive to conservative government. The results of the 2022 presidential election revealed the polarization of South Korean society. Yoon will face a series of difficult challenges. In domestic politics, he must confront the housing crisis, widespread dissatisfaction with economic inequality, and generational tensions, among other issues. Yoon will also be challenged by the parliamentary majority currently held by the Democratic Party in the National Assembly. In foreign policy, South Korea’s new president advocates strengthening the alliance with the United States and cooperation with the Quad countries; he promises to improve relations with Japan, and to take steps toward South Korea playing a greater role in the world. In his inter-Korean policy, on the other hand, Yoon follows the traditional position of the conservatives, pledging to strengthen a policy of deterrence against acts of aggression and provocation by North Korea.

To what extent do current models apply to analyze soft repression? Research on soft repression is still under development, and due to technological advancement, it is necessary to analyze different types of soft repression in a way to modify and refine existing typologies. Drawing on lessons learnt from Asian and regional studies, this article aims to discuss critically selected theoretical tools used to study soft repression. It scrutinizes four models that apply to delve analytically into different types of soft repression. The focus is on the most influential approaches in recent years that gained the highest impact on the development of studies on contentious politics. The first typology applies to differentiate between soft repression forms used mainly by non-state actors. The second approach treats soft repression as an explaining variable, as the text focuses on the consequences of soft repression. The third model applies to studying hard and soft repression during protests. Its analysis exposes how the combination of effectively selected forms of repression leads to the demobilization of individual movements and discourages participation in the protest. The last model involves a specific form of soft repression that uses relationships and interpersonal ties to demobilize protesters.

A Broad Overview, Rather Than a Journalistic Investigation. Review of Sylwia Czubkowska’s book Chińczycy trzymają nas mocno. Pierwsze śledztwo o tym, jak Chiny kolonizują Europę, w tym Polskę