China’s Pursuit of a New Asia-Pacific Security Architecture

Abstract

Facing increasing challenges to regional peace and stability, yet feeling isolated in several key security mechanisms in the Asia-Pacific, China has been taking active measures to improve its security environment and to foster a new regional security architecture based on the “New Asian Security Concept,” in order to achieve a lasting and commonly beneficial collective security order in the region. Though no official blueprint has been established by the Chinese government, one can expect China to push forward an all-inclusive and comprehensive platform as the core of the new architecture which features collective security driven by major powers based on their consulted consensus. Yet China will not seek to build a completely new Asia-Pacific security architecture to replace the old one. Instead, it is taking a pragmatic and incremental approach to shape the necessary environment for the evolution of the old architecture into a more inclusive and balanced one. If Sino-U.S. relations can be well managed and China continues to project its growing power in a refrained and contributive way to provide more public goods for regional peace and development, then it is hopeful that a new regional security architecture will take shape in the coming decades.

Furfural Derivatives and Phenolic Constituents in Stemona tuberosa Lour

“…The structures of the isolates were established by analysis of the extensive spectroscopic data (such as HR-ESI-MS, 1D/2D NMR, ORD, and ECD). Among them, compound 1 represents a previously undescribed furfural derivative, and the other twentyfive known compounds (2-26) were identified as 1,4-difuranyl-2,3dihydroxy-1,4-butanedione (2), [8] tuberostemonoxonine (3), [9] didehydrotuberostemonine A (4), [10] N-(4-hydroxyphenethyl)acetamide (5), [11] aurantiamide (6), [12] aurantiamide acetate (7), [13] stilbostemin B 3'-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (8), [14] trans-resveratrol 3-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (9), [15] daidzin (10), [16] rutin (11), [17] emodin-8-O-β-Dglucopyranoside (12), [18] psoralen (13), [19] isopsoralen ( 14), [20] isoacteoside (15), [21] 3,5-dihydroxy-1-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-7-(4hydroxyphenyl)heptane ( 16), [22] (+)-syringaresinol (17), [23] (+)-syringaresinol-4-O-β-D-glucoside (18), [24] hydroxybenzaldehyde (19), [25] 3-hydroxy-4-methoxybenzoic acid (20), [26] 4-methoxybenzoic acid (21), [27] 4-hydroxybenzonic acid ( 22), [28] 1,2,4-benzenetriol (23), [29] caffeic acid (24), [17] 4-hydroxycinnamic acid (25), [30] and protocatechuic acid (26), [31] Analysis of the 1D NMR, HMQC, and HMBC data allowed the overall assignments of the NMR data of 1 as listed in Table 1. Further, NOESY correlations between H 3 -11 and H-2/H-5/H-7, and between H-5 and H-7, indicated that H-2, H 3 -11, H-5, and H-7 were at a relatively close distance in space, or oriented in the same direction.…”

“…Among the above twenty-six compounds, compounds 1 and 2 are two rare di-furfural derivatives, compound 1 represents a previously undescribed one featuring a furanolac- tone ring, and compound 2 has been reported previously only from Rhizoctonia solani, [39] and processed Polygonatum cyrtonema Hua., [8] with anti-inflammatory potential by inhibiting NO release in LPS-induced RAW264. [14,26,[33][34][35][36] As reported to date, tuberostemonoxonine (3), [37,38] didehydrotuberostemonine A (4), [10] stilbostemin B 3'-β-D-glucopyranoside (8), [14] and rutin (11) [39] have been isolated only from S. tuberosa among the three species [S. tuberosa Lour., S. sessilifolia (Miq.) Miq., and S. japonica (Blume) Miq.…”

“…A previously undescribed furfural derivative (1) and twenty-five known compounds [including one furanic compound (2), five alkaloids (3-7), two stilbenes (8, 9), two flavonoids (10, 11), one anthraquinone (12), six phenylpropanoids (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18), and eight phenolic acids (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26)] were isolated and identified from the water decoction of the dried roots of S. tuberosa Lour. Among them, compounds 2, 5-6, 9, and 15-16 were afforded by Stemona plants for the first time.…”

“…In our continuous exploitation of the diverse water-soluble constituents of traditional Chinese medicine, phytochemical investigation on the water decoction of S. tuberosa Lour. Led to the isolation of twenty-six constituents included two furfural derivatives (1 and 2), five alkaloids (3)(4)(5)(6)(7), two stilbenes (8 and 9), two flavonoids (10 and 11), one anthraquinone (12), six phenylpropanoids (13)(14)(15)(16)(17)(18), and eight phenolic acids (19)(20)(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26). Herein, the isolation and structural identification of these constituents were reported.…”

Tracing the modes of China's revisionism in the Indo-Pacific: a comparison with pre-1941 Shōwa Japan

“…This framework is then rooted in China's antipathy for military alliances which, according to its diplomats and top officials, are 'unnecessary vestiges of the Cold War' (Shambaugh, 2004: 70). However, NASC was followed by confusing rhetoric and behaviour and no breakthroughs have been achieved since its proposal (Zhang, 2015). Two years later, it was de facto shelved.…”