Rising to the Challenge: China’s Grand Strategy and International Security

Studies in Asian Security

by Avery Goldstein

China’s increasing economic and military capabilities have attracted much attention in recent years. How should the world, especially the United States, respond to this emerging great power? A sensible response requires not only figuring out the speed and extent of China’s rise, but also answering a question that has received much less What is China’s grand strategy? This book describes and explains the grand strategy China’s leaders have adopted to pursue their country’s interests in the international system of the 21st century. The author argues that their strategy is designed to foster favorable conditions for continuing China’s modernization while also reducing the risk that others will decide a rising China is a threat that must be countered. Why did China’s leaders settle on this grand strategy and what are its key elements? What alternatives were available? Is the current approach yielding the results China anticipated? What does this grand strategy imply for international peace and security in the coming years—and, most critically, what are the prospects for an increasingly prominent China and a dominant United States to rise to the challenge of managing their inevitable disagreements?

Genres: China, Politics, Nonfiction

290 pages, Paperback

First published April 13, 2005

Reviews

[Patrick McCoy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Rising to the Challenge by Avery Goldstein is a bit too academic for me. The focus is on policy and there’s not much of a compelling narrative. However, having read a couple books on China, it is interesting to analyze what China is trying to do as far a foreign policy is concerned. But this seems more like a book for policy wonks than general readers like myself. Goldstein outlines China’s “Grand Strategy” policy, which would allow China a peaceful transition to becoming a great power. He talks about the many issues that China is facing in regards to America, Japan, Russia, Asia, and the rest of the world, as well as potential internal problems along the boarders within China where most of its minorities reside. Taiwan haunts China as a major bugaboo with their foray into democracy and seeming independence. I didn’t like the design of the book-too many footnotes for those academics and poorly defined typeface. That being said it was also well-researched and comprehensive in its limited scope.

[Matthew · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is remarkable how often people in academia are unable to write. Even the most cogent argument will fall on deaf ears if the writer can not put together sentences.
This book was dry and nearly unintelligible. As far as I could tell, the author failed to even take a stand on China. It was merely a run down of international relations theories and how they might be happening in China.
I apologize to the trees that were wasted on this book.