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With rapid advancement in clinical research, clinical trials on breast cancer in China have made great progress and are increasingly receiving worldwide recognition. Oncologists have been provided with an unprecedented opportunity to conduct clinical trials that offer both advantages and challenges. Investigator-initiated trials (IITs) and trials on domestic innovative drugs are still in the initial stages, with plenty of room to grow. The goal of this study was to systematically review time trends of the changing landscape of clinical drug development in China over the course of the last decade (from 2009 to 2018). The number of clinical trials specific to breast cancer has increased in a span of 10 years, from 36 trials in 2009 to 113 in 2018, and this trend is accompanied by an increase in publications, from 13 in 2009 to 52 in 2015. A total of 593 trials were conducted in breast cancer between 2009 and 2018. The distribution pattern of trial phases shows that phase 2 trials accounted for 34% of the total, followed by phase 3 trials at 21% and phase 1 trials at 20%. Academic trials or IITs were found to be the major sponsors, with 52% of trials being sponsored by them followed by pharmaceutical companies as a secondary sponsor (38%). Additionally, trials on chemotherapeutic agents constituted 50% of the trials followed by trials on targeted therapy (31%). The review provides insight on the effectiveness of the pharmaceutical industry and identify unmet clinical needs of stakeholders. With accumulated experience of Chinese oncologists and increasing support from the Chinese government, greater success could be anticipated in the near future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After the successful conclusion of the Paris Climate Conference (Conference of the Parties (COP) 21), countries are now attempting to identify implementation measures. An important consensus has been reached on the necessity of putting in place both mitigation and adaptation measures. In this context, this article builds a three-sector China and rest of the world model based on the DE-carbonization Model with Endogenous Technologies for Emission Reductions (DEMETER) and World Induced Technical Change Hybrid (WITCH) models. It assesses China’s mitigation and adaptation investment strategies by 2050 with an optimization including climate externalities. By making the 450 ppm target and China’s 2030 CO2 emissions peak exogenous, it assesses two scenarios: (1) investment only in mitigation and (2) investment in both mitigation and adaptation. The article finds the following: First, the policy package with investment in both mitigation and adaptation can ensure lower CO2 emissions and avoid more climate damage. Second, investment in adaptation should be massively injected by around 2040, whereas mitigation efforts should be continuous. Third, the CO2 emissions peak in the tertiary sector should come prior to 2030 while the emissions pathway of the secondary sector could be allowed to increase slowly until 2035. POLICY RELEVANCE The necessity of engaging in both mitigation and adaptation has been widely accepted since the Paris Climate Conference (COP21), yet few studies exist in this regard concerning China. Substantial investment in adaptation needs to be introduced by 2040 while the investment on mitigation should peak by 2030. The CO2 emissions peak in the tertiary sector would be reached prior to 2030 while the peak in the secondary sector is achieved around 2035. This provides an alternative in China to the existing argument of an earlier peak in the secondary sector. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Chinese government has committed to reduce its carbon intensity by 40–45% over the period 2005–2020 at the 2009 Copenhagen Summit. To achieve the target in a cost-effective way, China is signaling strong intentions to establish emissions trading scheme, and presently seven pilots have been established. This paper focuses on the cost-saving effects of carbon emissions trading in China for the 2020 target. First, an interprovincial emissions trading model is constructed. Then, three kinds of policy scenarios, including no carbon emissions trading among provinces (NETS), the carbon emissions trading only covering the pilots (PETS), and the unified carbon emissions trading market (CETS), have been designed. The results show that China needs to reduce its emissions by 819 MtCO 2 for achieving the 42.5% reduction in carbon intensity over the period 2005–2020. The PETS and the CETS, which may result in a carbon price of 99 yuan/tCO 2 and 53 yuan/tCO 2 , could reduce the total abatement costs by 4.50% and 23.67%, respectively. This paper also finds that the carbon emissions trading could yield different impacts on different provinces, and the cost-saving effects of the eastern and western provinces are more pronounced than the central provinces. Necessary sensitivity analysis is also provided at the end of the research. These findings may be useful for promoting the development of carbon emissions trading in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to further extend research (Fan et al., 2012a) examining the attitudes of Chinese certified public accountants with respect to independence aspects of their professional codes of conduct and their influence on ethical judgement. These attitudes are compared with those of Australian public accountants Particular attention is given to refining a pre-existing instrument to determine measurement invariance. Design/methodology/approach – A field survey of 81 Australian and 516 Chinese public accountants was conducted including the distribution of a questionnaire. Statistical analysis included confirmatory factor analysis and measurement invariance. Findings – An analysis of data established the existence of a stable model for identifying the dimensions of independence of mind and independence in appearance within the context of the codes of conduct relevant to both cultures. Chinese accountants demonstrated significantly less concern about audit-client relationships affecting independence in appearance compared to their Australian counterparts. Interestingly, independence of mind was found to positively influence ethical judgement for both groups taken together, although Chinese accountants were the significant contributors to this model outcome. Research limitations/implications – The relatively small sample of Australian accountants drawn from a limited population base could influence the quality of data analysis. This paper provides a further research direction for re-examining the relationship between Australian public accountants' attitudes towards their code of professional ethics and their ethical judgements in a significantly larger sample. Practical implications – This paper is particularly useful to the profession in that it will provide members with better insights into how accountants in different cultural settings view audit independence issues and their relationships with audit clients. Second, this study offers a scale for measuring attitudes towards codes of professional ethics for further cross-cultural studies. Originality/value – An exploratory research exercise that indicates that accounting practitioners in divergent cultures demonstrate similar concerns about independence issues, although it is believed that guanxi is likely to explain why Chinese accountants are less concerned with independence of appearance issues. The research also presents a validated instrument for examining attitudes towards codes of ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose |!|#8211; The purpose of this paper is to describe the results of a cross-sectional survey of Chinese auditors that examines their views about independence and client relationship issues associated with the current Code of Professional Conduct. The paper also compares the findings with attitudes about the perceived ethical environment of their workplaces. Design/methodology/approach |!|#8211; During late 2006, 578 useable questionnaires were obtained from members of the Chinese Institute of Public Accountants registered with four regional chapters. The empirical research was exploratory and involved the construction of a scale for measuring attitudes towards independence issues and a modified version of the Corporate Ethical Values scale. Findings |!|#8211; It was found that auditors clearly identify with the importance of codes of practice and indicate that their views are significantly affected by observations about the ethical climates associated with their immediate workplaces. Codes of practice are seen to be relevant the greater the concern about the ethicality of their workplaces, although attitudes were tempered when client relationship matters are considered, suggesting that some degree of cultural tolerance of questionable activities is inevitable, and that tolerance increases with age. Originality/value |!|#8211; The paper is the first to directly access Chinese practitioners in order to measure attitudes towards western-based standards of practice in association with their workplace conditions. It is a sizable survey, providing useful insights into how practitioners are coping with the demands of their profession in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper studies the internationalisation of Chinese piano firms from a branding perspective. The purpose of the paper is twofold. First, it examines the interplay between the country of origin (COO) effect and international branding, and how COO affects the choice of branding strategies in international markets. Second, it explores the possible link between international branding decisions and international expansion of the firm. A model is introduced that illustrates the relationships between COO, branding options and internationalisation. Corresponding to its progress in internationalisation, a firm's branding development in international markets may follow certain stages. As the firm moves to advanced stages, it increases its international brand equity; the impact from negative COO will decrease and eventually become irrelevant. The literature on internationalisation is largely based on the experience of MNEs from Western developed countries. Multinational firms from developing countries such as China possess some unique characteristics that make it very difficult to apply Western theories to them. The emergence of MNEs from developing countries calls for the development of new theories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Energy efficiency is an important factor in developing energy policies as it represents the extent to which resources support economic output. In recent literature, relevant studies have mainly focused on aggregate energy efficiency, but rarely touched on the marginal efficiency of diverse energy resources and their comparative substitution rate. During 1978–2003, China''s energy efficiency continually increased; and consequently became a hot topic in contemporary literature. However, there is no empirical study on the relationship between energy structure and energy efficiency. In order to close the gap, this paper reports the empirical study of the impact of China''s energy structure on its energy efficiency from 1978 to 2003. The work covered primary estimation of the marginal efficiency of coal and petroleum in China, as well as the comparative substitution rate. Results indicate that the substitution rate between petroleum and coal is a factor of 5.38. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The petroleum refining industry is an important energy conversion sector, providing both products and raw materials to a wide range of end-use sectors, including the transportation and chemical industries. This study uses a typical refinery process flow to develop a complex refining system by characterizing technical features and interrelationships of the refining units. Using this system we were able to develop the MESSAGEix-petroleum refining model to analyze energy consumption and emissions at the refining process level. The results indicate that China's petroleum refining industry could reduce total energy use, circulation water consumption, and softened water consumption by 12%, 7%, and 80%, respectively. Additionally, the petroleum refining industry could reduce CO 2 , NOx, SO 2 , and PM 2.5 emissions by 10%, 4%, 2%, and 1%, respectively, by 2050. However, emission sources have a significant influence on the emission reduction effect, and the reduction potential obtained through energy efficiency strategies is limited, especially for air pollutants. Therefore, policymakers should consider combining energy-efficiency measures and specific air pollution control options to better reach multiple targets. Finally, further directions for enhancing the representation of relevant subsectors in MESSAGEix are given. Maximum energy saving and emission reduction potential brought by energy efficiency improvement. Image 1 • A new approach for petroleum refining industry in MESSAGEix framework is developed. • Energy saving and emission reduction potential at the sector and process levels are quantified. • Energy efficiency would lead to large reductions of water, coke, electricity, fuel oil, and steam. • Most of the SO 2 and PM 2.5 emissions come from catalytic cracking process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the effects of international aviation liberalization between China and Central Asia on environment and social welfare. Based on monthly international air traffic data between Central Asia and China, we estimate a random-coefficients discrete choice model and perform a counterfactual analysis to quantify the effects of improved air connectivity, mainly considering that the ratio of direct and connecting aviation services between Central Asia and Beijing is the same as those between Central Asia and Russia, between Central Asia and other former Soviet Union countries and between Central Asia and other Asian countries. The main findings are as follows. First, improving air connectivity intensifies competition in the market, resulting in a decrease in the passenger-weighted average airfares between Central Asia and Beijing by 0.86–5.15 US dollars (USD) in 2012 and an increase in the total number of passengers by 2930–20,790. Second, improving air connectivity increases total carbon emissions (CO 2) between Central Asia and Beijing by 0.78–6.11 million kilograms (kg) in 2012 but also drives down per capita CO 2 emissions in this market by 0.78–2.38 kg. Third, while increasing total environmental externality costs, improving air connectivity significantly enhances consumer welfare and airline profits, resulting in a net social benefit of 14.02–44.12 million USD between Central Asia and Beijing in 2012. Finally, several policy implications are discussed. • We investigate the effects of international aviation liberalization between China and Central Asia. • We estimate a random-coefficients discrete choice model and perform a counterfactual analysis. • Improving air connectivity intensifies competition in the market. • Improving air connectivity increases total carbon emissions but also drives down per capita emissions. • Improving air connectivity significantly enhances consumer welfare and airline profits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Energy-saving behaviours possess great potential for reducing residential energy consumption, which are influenced by various determinants. In this study, we classify the residential energy-saving behaviours into three categories: investment behaviours, control behaviours, and careful-use behaviours. Then, we further investigate the careful-use behaviours within the framework of the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) based on the survey data collected in Changchun, China. Structural equation modelling is used to analyse the careful-use behaviours, which emphasise the effect of careful intentions on careful-use behaviours and are further influenced by three driving factors, including attitude, subjective norm, and perceived behaviour control (PBC). The outstanding finding of this study is that, in the case of careful-use behaviours, subjective norm is the most important effect, as it differs significantly from previous studies concerning investment behaviours or other types of energy-saving behaviours. Policy implications for improving careful-use behaviours from the subjective norm perspective are provided accordingly. Widely implemented energy knowledge diffusion and energy information publicity are suggested, and a pro-environmental attitude should be improved through education. • A specified energy-saving behaviour named careful-use behaviour is analysed. • We explore reasons behind careful-use behaviour based on TPB. • Careful-use behaviour is found to be different from other energy-saving behavioiurs. • Subjective norm is found to be the strongest driving force of careful-use behaviour. • Perceived behaviour control is the weakest driving force of careful-use behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A financial computable general equilibrium model is established to quantitatively calculate the systematic effects of a green credit policy. The punitive high-interest rate is applied to the energy-intensive industries as the green credit policy. This study is focused on the following industries: paper, chemical, cement, and iron and steel. Short-, medium- and long-term scenarios are used to conduct experiments representing the green credit policy. Then, a scenario is simulated wherein a green security policy and the green credit policy are carried out simultaneously. Finally, effects of the green credit policy, a differential electricity price policy, and a raised production tax policy towards the energy-intensive industries are compared. The results show that the green credit policy is effective in suppressing the investments in energy-intensive industries, and it is comparatively less effective in adjusting the industrial production structure. The green security policy helps the green credit policy to reduce the total financing of the target industries, but it brings more negative impacts on the economy. Although the policies of differential electricity prices and raising production taxes support the output structural adjustments, their negative effects are much larger than those of the green credit policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

China’s energy resources and electricity load show reverse regional distribution, along with serious imbalance of energy supply and demand between eastern and western regions. Inter-regional power transmission is considered to be the key strategic measure to balance the national resources allocation and satisfy various regional long-term benefits. In this study, a multi-region power sector optimization model is developed from the perspective of bottom-up modeling. Power transmission technologies are considered in detail. Moreover, the sub-module of inter-regional coal transportation is introduced into the model. Based on above framework, this study analyzes quantitatively the optimum inter-regional power transmission planning under various policy scenarios, and estimates its impacts on renewable energy, NO x and SO 2 emissions, and coal transportation from a long-term perspective. The results show that ultra high voltage lines will become the main carrier of inter-regional power transmission in the future. The construction of transmission line between some regions such as from East Inner Mongolia to northern China, and from northwest China to central China can bring economic savings. Inter-regional power transmission is an effective way to promote the utilization of renewable energy in Inner Mongolia and northwest China, and plays an important role in controlling NO x and SO 2 emissions in central and eastern China but has limited effect on the national total emissions. Moreover, it could reduce the inter-regional coal transportation significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The grid parity of wind power is explored using LCOE and learning curve method. • The learning rate is estimated using a dataset of 2059 wind power projects. • The grid parity of onshore wind power in China may be achieved before 2020. • Carbon pricing can play an important role in achieving grid parity in China. • The critical carbon prices above which grid parity can be achieved are obtained. China has adopted an ambitious plan for wind power to achieve grid parity with the on-grid price of coal-fired power in 2020. Whether this target can be achieved is a great concern for policy makers as well as potential investors. To address this issue, we first estimate the future levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) of wind power using a learning curve method, and then determine whether grid parity can be achieved by comparing it with the on-grid price of coal-fired power. Specially, the effect of carbon pricing on the grid-parity is explored, and a sensitivity analysis on how the discount rates, learning rates, and curtailment rates affect grid parity is conducted. The learning rate of onshore wind power is estimated using a panel dataset consisting of information of 2059 onshore wind projects in China from 2006 to 2015. Based on this learning rate, the future LCOE of Chinese onshore wind power from 2016 to 2025 is calculated. The results show that the LCOE of onshore wind power decreases by 13.91% from 0.40 RMB/kWh in 2016 to 0.34 RMB/kWh in 2025. By comparing the LCOE with the on-grid price of coal-fired power, the grid parity of onshore wind power may be achieved in 2019. With the implementation of the carbon pricing policy, the grid parity will be achieved earlier. More specifically, with the carbon price reaching 10, 35, and 60 RMB/t CO 2 , the grid parity can be achieved in 2019, 2017, and 2016, respectively. The results of the sensitivity analysis show that in the case of high discount rates, low learning rates, high curtailment rates, high O&M cost and low capacity factor, the grid parity will be delayed, and a high carbon price will be required to achieve the grid parity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract There is much discussion about whether the rapid expansion of onshore wind power in China is sustainable, given the decrease in feed-in tariffs (FIT). It is unclear whether the recently launched nationwide carbon pricing system, which will include 1700 power companies, can compensate for decreasing FITs and possibly provide new incentives for wind power developments. This paper investigates the ability of carbon pricing policies to compensate for declining FITs in support of onshore wind power investment in China. First, we constructed a dataset of 2059 onshore wind power projects from China's thirty provinces between 2006 and 2015 to estimate the levelized costs of electricity (LCOE). This dataset was used to assess the profitability of each wind project for different carbon prices, varying levels of FITs, curtailment rate, and discount rate. Our findings suggest that the carbon price can compensate partially for the revenue loss caused by declining FITs as well as improving the profitability of projects. However, current carbon prices in China's carbon emission trading pilots are not sufficiently high to compensate for the revenue losses, especially under the grid parity scenario. Consequently, without FITs, the sustainable development of onshore wind power in China is uncertain. A sensitivity analysis of the effect of the carbon pricing policy demonstrates that in the case of higher investment risk and more serious curtailment, the effect of carbon pricing policy on promoting the wind power investment seems to be more significant. Highlights • A dataset of 2059 onshore wind power projects in China is constructed. • The LCOEs are estimated and the profitability is assessed with carbon pricing. • The carbon pricing policy can improve the profitability of the wind power projects. • The effect of current carbon price is limited under the grid parity scenario. • The effect becomes more significant in case of higher risk and curtailment rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we investigate the driving forces behind the changes in residential energy consumption (REC) in China’s urban and rural areas over the 2001–2012 period. Based on the logarithmic mean Divisia index method, the REC changes are decomposed into seven driving forces, which are climate change, energy price, energy expenditure mix, energy cost share (in total expenditure), expenditure share (in income), per capita income and population effects. According to the results, climate effect due to increasing days with abnormal temperature, energy cost share effect characterized by more expenditure to be paid for energy use, income effect describing constant income growth in the residential sector definitely increase REC in both urban and rural areas. In contrast, energy prices and energy expenditure mix effects negatively contribute to the REC increase, respectively because of the increase in energy prices and the transition from the low-priced energy to high-priced energy. Expenditure share and population effects play opposite roles in urban and rural areas, and the reasons and implications are analysed in depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]