No 4 (2009)

The transformation of different religious trends in Chinese Islam from it's beginning to the present time and the influence of Chinese foreign policy changes on the development of these trends are examined in the article. Islam first appeared in China during the Tan dynasty and since that time it has undergone quite a number of changes both under the influence of Chinese culture and the Muslim world. There are different trends in Modern Chinese Islam: «gedimu» (from the Arabic word meaning «old»), different sufi schools, which are very popular in North-West China. As a result of China's interaction with the Middle East the «Ihewani» and salafiya trends appeared in the country. Nevertheless these trends cannot be considered as imposed ones because they have features and specific character typical of Chinese Islam.

The article deals with the peculiarities of diplomatic relations between China and Latin American countries, the development of economic cooperation and Chinese political influence in this region. The high level of China's economic development has facilitated its economic ties with Latin America. The multilateral relations with these countries have become an integral part of Chinese foreign policy. This was underlined in the conceptual document «Chinese Policy in Latin America and the Caribbean», published in 2008, which reflects the main purposes and perspectives of China's policy in Latin America.

Rebecca Catz argues that Fernao Mendes Pinto's «Peregrination», a sprawling account of travels in the East first published in 1614, is a «plea for toleration». Richard Rorty says that irony is a good mode for postmodern intellectual life. But attention to the text suggests «that Mendes Pinto provided» a much more subtle and nihilistic irony than Rorty imagines, and that his text is a plea for toleration in only the most attenuated sense.