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Stem cell research and synthetic biology offer complementary insights on the nature of scientific governance in China. Stem cells were essentially promoted by top-down semi-governmental initiatives. Yet it was through a process of 'de-nationalization' (in which a diversity of cross-border communications initiated by scientists effaced the dominance of a singular national voice) that China's stem cell research gained global recognition. Meanwhile, the emergence of synthetic biology has shown a reverse pathway. While many 'Chinese' synthetic biology projects are primarily associated with international programs, this 'de-nationalized' start did not lead to an abandonment of a national agenda. Rather, synthetic biology in China has been transformed into a grassroots proposition of a 'Big Question' approach, which in effect creates a 're-nationalization' by bringing synergy among domestic experts. Chinese stakeholders' experience seems to indicate that scientific development is steered by a (cosmopolitan) practicality, which has lead to a bottom-up instrumentalization of the nation-state. ; La recherche sur les cellules souche et en biologie synthétique offre des perspectives complémentaires sur la nature de la politique scientifique en Chine. Les cellules souche ont été essentiellement promues par des initiatives semi-gouvernementales du haut vers le bas. Cependant, c'est à travers un processus de " dénationalisation " (dans laquelle des communications transfrontières diverses initiées par des scientifiques effacent la domination d'une voix nationale unique) que la recherche chinoise sur les cellules souche a obtenu une reconnaissance globale. Simultanément, l'émergence de la biologie synthétique a montré une trajectoire inverse. Alors que de nombreux projets " chinois " en biologie synthétique sont associés au premier chef à des programmes internationaux, cette première étape " dénationalisée " n'a pas mené à un abandon de l'agenda national. Au contraire, la biologie synthétique en Chine a été transformée en une ...

Stem cell research and synthetic biology offer complementary insights on the nature of scientific governance in China. Stem cells were essentially promoted by top-down semi-governmental initiatives. Yet it was through a process of 'de-nationalization' (in which a diversity of cross-border communications initiated by scientists effaced the dominance of a singular national voice) that China's stem cell research gained global recognition. Meanwhile, the emergence of synthetic biology has shown a reverse pathway. While many 'Chinese' synthetic biology projects are primarily associated with international programs, this 'de-nationalized' start did not lead to an abandonment of a national agenda. Rather, synthetic biology in China has been transformed into a grassroots proposition of a 'Big Question' approach, which in effect creates a 're-nationalization' by bringing synergy among domestic experts. Chinese stakeholders' experience seems to indicate that scientific development is steered by a (cosmopolitan) practicality, which has lead to a bottom-up instrumentalization of the nation-state. ; La recherche sur les cellules souche et en biologie synthétique offre des perspectives complémentaires sur la nature de la politique scientifique en Chine. Les cellules souche ont été essentiellement promues par des initiatives semi-gouvernementales du haut vers le bas. Cependant, c'est à travers un processus de " dénationalisation " (dans laquelle des communications transfrontières diverses initiées par des scientifiques effacent la domination d'une voix nationale unique) que la recherche chinoise sur les cellules souche a obtenu une reconnaissance globale. Simultanément, l'émergence de la biologie synthétique a montré une trajectoire inverse. Alors que de nombreux projets " chinois " en biologie synthétique sont associés au premier chef à des programmes internationaux, cette première étape " dénationalisée " n'a pas mené à un abandon de l'agenda national. Au contraire, la biologie synthétique en Chine a été transformée en une ...

Stem cell research and synthetic biology offer complementary insights on the nature of scientific governance in China. Stem cells were essentially promoted by top-down semi-governmental initiatives. Yet it was through a process of 'de-nationalization' (in which a diversity of cross-border communications initiated by scientists effaced the dominance of a singular national voice) that China's stem cell research gained global recognition. Meanwhile, the emergence of synthetic biology has shown a reverse pathway. While many 'Chinese' synthetic biology projects are primarily associated with international programs, this 'de-nationalized' start did not lead to an abandonment of a national agenda. Rather, synthetic biology in China has been transformed into a grassroots proposition of a 'Big Question' approach, which in effect creates a 're-nationalization' by bringing synergy among domestic experts. Chinese stakeholders' experience seems to indicate that scientific development is steered by a (cosmopolitan) practicality, which has lead to a bottom-up instrumentalization of the nation-state. ; La recherche sur les cellules souche et en biologie synthétique offre des perspectives complémentaires sur la nature de la politique scientifique en Chine. Les cellules souche ont été essentiellement promues par des initiatives semi-gouvernementales du haut vers le bas. Cependant, c'est à travers un processus de " dénationalisation " (dans laquelle des communications transfrontières diverses initiées par des scientifiques effacent la domination d'une voix nationale unique) que la recherche chinoise sur les cellules souche a obtenu une reconnaissance globale. Simultanément, l'émergence de la biologie synthétique a montré une trajectoire inverse. Alors que de nombreux projets " chinois " en biologie synthétique sont associés au premier chef à des programmes internationaux, cette première étape " dénationalisée " n'a pas mené à un abandon de l'agenda national. Au contraire, la biologie synthétique en Chine a été transformée en une ...

How can we break away from a fixation on top-down power dynamics and track the impact of social movement in societies that do not easily fit with Western neoliberal theorisations? Building on Foucault's insights on governance, this paper proposes an analytical lens of the 'biopolitics of existence' to address this problem. The term existence refers not simply to the 'corporeal' needs of survival (be it of an individual or an organisation) but also to the freedom to (self-)develop and the ability to interact with others. By examining how the Good Food Movement has transformed the bios of ordinary people into agency and reshaped the governing ethos in China's food system, this paper demonstrates that to assess the gravity of social change is to first comprehend how actors calculated their action in a particular socio-political ecology. To speak of the politics of existence is to recognise that existence is simultaneously something to be defended and to be established. A 'biopolitics of existence' lens is instrumental in making visible social actors' logic in (re)forming socio-political norms while keeping in sight the entanglement of different stakeholders.

Ulrich Beck fundamentally transformed our way of thinking about human interdependence through his three core theses on risk, individualisation and cosmopolitanisation. However, two commonly observed deficiencies in Beck's grand theory were its Eurocentric orientation and a lack of empirical grounding. Based on 5 focus groups and 14 interviews with participants of the emerging Clean Food Movement in China, this paper extends the Beckian discussion outside Europe. Through examining how individuals understand both 'traditional' and 'new' risks associated with contemporary food consumption, this paper demonstrates that in the face of unpredictable and incalculable harms, risks are not seen as a 'thing', but are translated into 'causal relations'. Subsequently, for Chinese stakeholders, the best way to safeguard food risks is to enact more visible and functioning interdependent relations in the food system. This in turn has given rise to new forms of communities which cut across conventional geographic, socio-economic and political boundaries. The paper deepens a Beckian theorisation in two ways. First, it demonstrates that the 'enabling' effect of risk towards a cosmopolitan society is not limited to obvious global crises, such as climate catastrophes and financial meltdown. In fact, the mundane yet intimate concern of putting 'good' food in one's dinner bowl already presses actors to form new social solidarities that are cosmopolitan in nature. Second, it goes beyond Beck's assertion that the risk society has culminated in a cosmopolitan moment, and explores how a performative cosmopolitan community reshapes the 'relations of definition' to mitigate risks on the ground.

Developing safe and sustainable food production for its population has been central to China's 'Modernisation Project'. Yet recent fieldwork in 3 Chinese cities suggests that there are two conflicting views on what a 'modern' agriculture should look like. For the government, modernisation implies a rational calculation of scale and a mirroring of global trends. But an alternative interpretation of modernity, promoted by civil society, has been gaining ground. For this camp, good food production is then established through a 'rhizomic' spread of new practices, which are inspired by world possibilities but are deeply rooted in the local context. Based on 14 interviews and 5 focus groups, this paper investigates the ongoing social negotiation of 'good food' in China. It demonstrates how a non-Western society responds to the twin processes of modernisation and globalisation and provides insights on the varieties of modernity in the making.

Developing safe and sustainable food production for its population has been central to China's 'Modernisation Project'. Yet recent fieldwork in three Chinese cities suggests that there are two conflicting views on what a 'modern' agriculture should look like. For the government, modernisation implies a rational calculation of scale and a mirroring of global trends. But an alternative interpretation of modernity, promoted by civil society, has been gaining ground. For this camp, good food production is then established through a 'rhizomic' spread of new practices, which are inspired by world possibilities but are deeply rooted in the local context. Based on 14 interviews and five focus groups, this article investigates the ongoing social negotiation of 'good food' in China. It demonstrates how a non-western society responds to the twin processes of modernisation and globalisation and provides insights on the varieties of modernity in the making.

Despite China's regulatory initiatives to promote its research accountability, it still needs to prove itself as a trusted player in life science research. In addition, in contrast to its huge investment, China is losing the race in delivering quality application of stem cells. The trial implementation of the 2015 ministerial regulations seemed to offer hope in ending this dual 'lost-in-translation'. Yet skepticism remains. By examining China's regulatory trajectory in the last 15 years, this paper illustrates that it is a post-hoc pragmatic policy rationale and a soft centralisation regulatory approach that have hampered China's governance. To improve China's governance of accountability, policy-makers need to get beyond an 'act-in-response' regulatory ethos and engage with diverse stakeholders.

Developing safe and sustainable food production for its population has been central to China's 'Modernisation Project'. Yet recent fieldwork in three Chinese cities suggests that there are two conflicting views on what a 'modern' agriculture should look like. For the government, modernisation implies a rational calculation of scale and a mirroring of global trends. But an alternative interpretation of modernity, promoted by civil society, has been gaining ground. For this camp, good food production is then established through a 'rhizomic' spread of new practices, which are inspired by world possibilities but are deeply rooted in the local context. Based on 14 interviews and five focus groups, this article investigates the ongoing social negotiation of 'good food' in China. It demonstrates how a non-western society responds to the twin processes of modernisation and globalisation and provides insights on the varieties of modernity in the making.

Ulrich Beck asserts that global risks, such as climate change, generate a form of 'compulsory cosmopolitanism', which 'glues' various actors into collective action. Through an analysis of emerging 'cosmopolitan risk communities' in Chinese climate governance, this article points out a 'blind spot' in the theorization of cosmopolitan belonging and an associated inadequacy in explaining shifting power relations. The article addresses this problem by engaging with the intersectionality of the cosmopolitan space. It is argued that cosmopolitan belonging is a form of performative identity. Its key characteristic lies in a 'liberating prerogative', which enables individuals to participate in the solution of common problems creatively. It is this liberating prerogative that forces the state from a position of political monopoly and marks the cosmopolitan moment.

Synthetic biology raises few, if any, social concerns that are distinctively new. Similar to many other convergent technologies, synthetic biology's interface across various scientific communities and interests groups presents an incessant challenge to political and conceptual boundaries. However, the scale and intensity of these interfaces seem to necessitate a reflection over how corresponding governance capacities can be developed. This paper argues that, in addition to existing regulatory approaches, such capacities may be gained through the art of trans-boundary governance, which is not only attentive to the crossing and erosion of particular boundaries but also adept in keeping up with the dynamics among evolving networks of actors.