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Beijing Rules
A deep dive into China's two decade-long campaign for ascendancy through authoritarian capitalism, economic dependency, and strategic propaganda, at democracy's expense.
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First published August 1, 2023
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September 28, 2023
When the winds of change blow, some people build walls, and others build windmills.
The book frames itself as a "remarkable story of China's two-decade quest for global dominance." But that's not how I experienced it. It ended up being a very Western view of China, mostly focused on the last five years. Not what I expected, and not as interesting as the description. I'd have preferred a Chinese perspective, which would have provided more interesting insight.
The book frames itself as a "remarkable story of China's two-decade quest for global dominance." But that's not how I experienced it. It ended up being a very Western view of China, mostly focused on the last five years. Not what I expected, and not as interesting as the description. I'd have preferred a Chinese perspective, which would have provided more interesting insight.
March 11, 2024
This was a story of China’s increasing influence across the globe and how it uses its economic heft to push individuals, corporations and countries to toe the line, or face serious consequences.
It was well written using a combination of a documentary and anecdotal style, which provided a good mix of the bigger picture combined with the reality on the ground of the ideological war currently being waged. Defos recommend for anyone interested in a conflict which is only going to intensify over the next few years.
It was well written using a combination of a documentary and anecdotal style, which provided a good mix of the bigger picture combined with the reality on the ground of the ideological war currently being waged. Defos recommend for anyone interested in a conflict which is only going to intensify over the next few years.
February 8, 2024
This was such a good geopolitical book that was genuinely a lot easier to read than most.
Covering the imbalances of neoliberalism and the toll these have taken on societies around the globe, the book provides an overview of how china uses “economic statescraft” to enforce its communist party agenda and ideals across other countries and big tech.
China is and has been shaping global markets to incentivise adherence to its most fundamental geopolitical objectives, the true extent of which is yet to be uncovered. Australia and the US, followed SLOWLY by Europe are starting to pay attention and implement policy changes. However, the book shows that without a significant recouping of market forces and human rights, China will be able to continue unchecked.
I also loved the way this book was a factual assessment, rather than a US or China bashing book. A great read in which I not only learnt but also was able to assimilate this knowledge.
Covering the imbalances of neoliberalism and the toll these have taken on societies around the globe, the book provides an overview of how china uses “economic statescraft” to enforce its communist party agenda and ideals across other countries and big tech.
China is and has been shaping global markets to incentivise adherence to its most fundamental geopolitical objectives, the true extent of which is yet to be uncovered. Australia and the US, followed SLOWLY by Europe are starting to pay attention and implement policy changes. However, the book shows that without a significant recouping of market forces and human rights, China will be able to continue unchecked.
I also loved the way this book was a factual assessment, rather than a US or China bashing book. A great read in which I not only learnt but also was able to assimilate this knowledge.
August 21, 2024
This should be read with caution.The author gaslights and misleads her readers so that they would hate China. She uses some information and narratives to appear factual and untenable without giving wider contexts and more layers of facts. Also, she covers the hypocrisy of the US by projecting its image of being more historically righteous than China. In short, this book is anti- China propaganda since such a maneuver is customary for superpowers in international politics.
December 23, 2023
I thought this was great - it answered loads of questions I had about how China has built and exercised its economic power to achieve its political ends, and is probably the clearest book I’ve read that contextualises how China operates against the actual theory of Communism.
The book is very focussed on the post-2015 period: in part because the way China operates has changed since then (far more willing to push norms and confront the West), but my one critique of this is that it would have been interesting to read more about the Belt & Road initiative and how China actually operates in Africa and other parts of the world. But the case studies that the author pulls out (coercive power being deployed against Zoom, the extraterritoriality of China’s ambitions, the really damaging relationship with Australia) are all very chilling and well told.
The book is very focussed on the post-2015 period: in part because the way China operates has changed since then (far more willing to push norms and confront the West), but my one critique of this is that it would have been interesting to read more about the Belt & Road initiative and how China actually operates in Africa and other parts of the world. But the case studies that the author pulls out (coercive power being deployed against Zoom, the extraterritoriality of China’s ambitions, the really damaging relationship with Australia) are all very chilling and well told.
April 5, 2025
Historians and political scientists will admit that there has never been a perfect democracy. If the same academics are honest, they will admit that there has never been a perfect socialist government, 100% absolutist monarchy or true-to-Marx Communist example either. In every instance, and seemingly more-so in the 21st century, the reality are blends and layers of isms and their specific cultural influences. Consensus would say that good governance is more important than the government style itself.
Is there an expected or acceptable degree of illiberalism inherent in a liberal democracy? What is the acceptable amount of mercantile in a liberal economy or a condoned level of socialist in the free market? Every government style has its exceptions to its own rules. Perhaps it is the reasons and motives for these exceptions, not a hard fast dogma, that should be considered. Some researchers have claimed that procedural democracy is of secondary importance to substantive democracy. Other respected scholars argue the opposite; all context dependent on important nuances. Some scholars consider the benefits of the benevolent dictator while others the dictatorship of the elected majority.
Few contemporary challenges bring these questions to the fore as much as Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China’s national and foreign policies. “Beijing Rules” by Bethany Allen is as good a book as any to consider how black and white or nuanced the China vs. West debate should or could be. The book’s sub-title gives away a clear preference against the CCP’s foreign policies. But the author begins with a few words to balance the debates.
Some capitalist strategies, based on neoliberal economic policies have caused damage to inter-country relations. The US has violated its own liberal economic trade policies numerous times and both the US and China are guilty of promoting illiberal policies to advantage their respective economies; short term self-interests with lasting moral effects.
Before the CCP ever resorted to coercing Hollywood as a means to grant access to the country’s hundreds of millions of movie-goers, Hollywood, and American culture writ-large had a penchant for China bashing. It was a reality check repeating the warnings of Edward Said’s “Orientalism” but on the Far East.
Kudos to Allen for levelling the playing field, at least somewhat, early in the book, because the testimonies against the CCP pile up high and quickly. The book looks at one of the earliest wake-up calls to the CCP’s tactics by looking at pre-2016 Australia. Australia did not have the military, political or economic might to counter what, almost too late, looked to be a CCP attempt to control more than just Australia’s opinion on “core China issues”.
In 2017, Allen tells the story of how Matt Pottinger, part of President Trump’s National Security Council, switched tactics after spending time learning about Australia’s ordeal. As more countries became wise to the CCP coercion, China was still growing, developing at an incredible rate, bringing millions out of poverty and enabling the CCP to flex its increasing muscles. In 2020, the CCP leaked a fourteen-point warning against the Australian government. The fourteen points went far beyond issues of what had become known as China’s core issues: Taiwan, South China Sea claims, Tibet and other sovereignty claims or “internal issues”. The CCP appeared to be demanding that Australia police its own social media and refrain from calling out the CCP in any area of potential bad conduct to include the cyber realm.
The book’s chapters about CCP coercion in the US focus on the souring of sister city relationships; a people-to-people concept started under Eisenhower which grew to 157 partnerships. As in Australia, there were signs that the CCP was meddling at the sub-national level in US politics, had infiltrated sincere student exchange programs with intelligence officers (MSS) and were using coercive methods to control Chinese populations in the US to ensure the CCP’s brand of “one China policy” on Taiwan was enforced. The United Front Workers Party (UFWP), whose external shell might look like a social networking and community organizing team, worked directly with Chinese intelligence, reaching in to the Chinese Diaspora as if they were sovereign CCP property and responsibility.
Political commentators often mention the bipartisan nature of the US policy towards China. The non-partisan approach more quickly reaches consensus; one that currently promotes a strong collective deterrence against a hostile CCP-controlled People’s Liberation Army (PLA). But non-partisan thinking should also take care not to paint complex issues in black and white and instead understand nuance in international politics, strategize wisely, act prudently and avoid hyperbole. There is a risk that bipartisan unity on a topic can perpetuate ignorance, diminish understanding, drown out contrary voices and confirm a bias that ignores other important perspectives. Save for a few exceptions, critical debate on the role of China in the world is lacking. The CCP’s own insulated echo-chamber of power politics is a case in point.
Of all the challenges to 21st century international politics, information operations and media control is perhaps the most wicked (in IR terms) of challenges. In the very space where information is most accessible, it is also the most manipulated.
Allen (with the help of Emily Walz in the final pages) writes that China could not be “coaxed in to transparency”. Transparency, depending on a nation’s size, relative power and power aspirations, is both a liability and an asset. When knowledge is power, stronger nations can afford to be more transparent than weaker ones; which is why the CCP’s lack of transparency is a bright red flag.
Allen writes that, “Glorification of the market and the individual has also made it difficult for Americans to think creatively about possible solutions to the challenges posed by China. A philosophy of neoliberalism, especially when taken to the extremes, often precludes government action. It’s the reason that, for years, civil society responses – such as public shaming of companies, opt-in university codes of conduct, and legal measures promoting transparency but not prohibiting any particular actions – were considered the only democratic options to pushing back against China’s authoritarian influence.” Pg. 206
Finally, to end with things that China does well, serious thought should be put in to why much of Africa and Latin America are quick to partner with China. China may not have been most countries’ first option for development and technology partnerships, but for so many, it was the only option.
The CCP and every country’s policy towards and with its “Communism with Chinese characteristics” is challenging the practice of politics. The theory of liberal democracy and free market capitalism has many layers and flavors. It is good to highlight the destructive modes of CCP policies, but we would also be wise to consider where and if theories of good governance are seeing different ways to adapt to new social and global phenomena.
Yes, some governance styles are better than others. Some leaders more prudent, some citizens more patient, some lower classes more content and some uber rich more rapacious. Historical, cultural, religious and social aspects in each nation and country have a lot to say about the success or failure of any governance system. Factors that come in to the 21st debates include levels of: corruption, mass media, media control, population increases, population plateaus, cultural diversity, historical grievances, pros and cons of transparency, conflicting sovereignty claims and others. China’s Communist Party with Chinese characteristic is not only forcing a continued internal debate on good governance, but also demanding an external perception of China’s government that could be re-writing the accepted status quo concept of democracy, capitalism, free market, security and even stability. It is at least showcasing the divide between democratic theory and democracy in practice.
Is there an expected or acceptable degree of illiberalism inherent in a liberal democracy? What is the acceptable amount of mercantile in a liberal economy or a condoned level of socialist in the free market? Every government style has its exceptions to its own rules. Perhaps it is the reasons and motives for these exceptions, not a hard fast dogma, that should be considered. Some researchers have claimed that procedural democracy is of secondary importance to substantive democracy. Other respected scholars argue the opposite; all context dependent on important nuances. Some scholars consider the benefits of the benevolent dictator while others the dictatorship of the elected majority.
Few contemporary challenges bring these questions to the fore as much as Xi Jinping’s Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and China’s national and foreign policies. “Beijing Rules” by Bethany Allen is as good a book as any to consider how black and white or nuanced the China vs. West debate should or could be. The book’s sub-title gives away a clear preference against the CCP’s foreign policies. But the author begins with a few words to balance the debates.
Some capitalist strategies, based on neoliberal economic policies have caused damage to inter-country relations. The US has violated its own liberal economic trade policies numerous times and both the US and China are guilty of promoting illiberal policies to advantage their respective economies; short term self-interests with lasting moral effects.
Before the CCP ever resorted to coercing Hollywood as a means to grant access to the country’s hundreds of millions of movie-goers, Hollywood, and American culture writ-large had a penchant for China bashing. It was a reality check repeating the warnings of Edward Said’s “Orientalism” but on the Far East.
Kudos to Allen for levelling the playing field, at least somewhat, early in the book, because the testimonies against the CCP pile up high and quickly. The book looks at one of the earliest wake-up calls to the CCP’s tactics by looking at pre-2016 Australia. Australia did not have the military, political or economic might to counter what, almost too late, looked to be a CCP attempt to control more than just Australia’s opinion on “core China issues”.
In 2017, Allen tells the story of how Matt Pottinger, part of President Trump’s National Security Council, switched tactics after spending time learning about Australia’s ordeal. As more countries became wise to the CCP coercion, China was still growing, developing at an incredible rate, bringing millions out of poverty and enabling the CCP to flex its increasing muscles. In 2020, the CCP leaked a fourteen-point warning against the Australian government. The fourteen points went far beyond issues of what had become known as China’s core issues: Taiwan, South China Sea claims, Tibet and other sovereignty claims or “internal issues”. The CCP appeared to be demanding that Australia police its own social media and refrain from calling out the CCP in any area of potential bad conduct to include the cyber realm.
The book’s chapters about CCP coercion in the US focus on the souring of sister city relationships; a people-to-people concept started under Eisenhower which grew to 157 partnerships. As in Australia, there were signs that the CCP was meddling at the sub-national level in US politics, had infiltrated sincere student exchange programs with intelligence officers (MSS) and were using coercive methods to control Chinese populations in the US to ensure the CCP’s brand of “one China policy” on Taiwan was enforced. The United Front Workers Party (UFWP), whose external shell might look like a social networking and community organizing team, worked directly with Chinese intelligence, reaching in to the Chinese Diaspora as if they were sovereign CCP property and responsibility.
Political commentators often mention the bipartisan nature of the US policy towards China. The non-partisan approach more quickly reaches consensus; one that currently promotes a strong collective deterrence against a hostile CCP-controlled People’s Liberation Army (PLA). But non-partisan thinking should also take care not to paint complex issues in black and white and instead understand nuance in international politics, strategize wisely, act prudently and avoid hyperbole. There is a risk that bipartisan unity on a topic can perpetuate ignorance, diminish understanding, drown out contrary voices and confirm a bias that ignores other important perspectives. Save for a few exceptions, critical debate on the role of China in the world is lacking. The CCP’s own insulated echo-chamber of power politics is a case in point.
Of all the challenges to 21st century international politics, information operations and media control is perhaps the most wicked (in IR terms) of challenges. In the very space where information is most accessible, it is also the most manipulated.
Allen (with the help of Emily Walz in the final pages) writes that China could not be “coaxed in to transparency”. Transparency, depending on a nation’s size, relative power and power aspirations, is both a liability and an asset. When knowledge is power, stronger nations can afford to be more transparent than weaker ones; which is why the CCP’s lack of transparency is a bright red flag.
Allen writes that, “Glorification of the market and the individual has also made it difficult for Americans to think creatively about possible solutions to the challenges posed by China. A philosophy of neoliberalism, especially when taken to the extremes, often precludes government action. It’s the reason that, for years, civil society responses – such as public shaming of companies, opt-in university codes of conduct, and legal measures promoting transparency but not prohibiting any particular actions – were considered the only democratic options to pushing back against China’s authoritarian influence.” Pg. 206
Finally, to end with things that China does well, serious thought should be put in to why much of Africa and Latin America are quick to partner with China. China may not have been most countries’ first option for development and technology partnerships, but for so many, it was the only option.
The CCP and every country’s policy towards and with its “Communism with Chinese characteristics” is challenging the practice of politics. The theory of liberal democracy and free market capitalism has many layers and flavors. It is good to highlight the destructive modes of CCP policies, but we would also be wise to consider where and if theories of good governance are seeing different ways to adapt to new social and global phenomena.
Yes, some governance styles are better than others. Some leaders more prudent, some citizens more patient, some lower classes more content and some uber rich more rapacious. Historical, cultural, religious and social aspects in each nation and country have a lot to say about the success or failure of any governance system. Factors that come in to the 21st debates include levels of: corruption, mass media, media control, population increases, population plateaus, cultural diversity, historical grievances, pros and cons of transparency, conflicting sovereignty claims and others. China’s Communist Party with Chinese characteristic is not only forcing a continued internal debate on good governance, but also demanding an external perception of China’s government that could be re-writing the accepted status quo concept of democracy, capitalism, free market, security and even stability. It is at least showcasing the divide between democratic theory and democracy in practice.
August 27, 2023
Allen provides an excellent examination of how China has used economic power to assert influence in international politics in recent years. She shows how China has effectively combined economic power with public messaging to gain influence abroad. Often, the U.S., in not prioritizing engagement with developing countries, offers insufficient alternatives to Chinese commitments to develop infrastructure or provide vaccines, for example.
Allen rightly shows that the U.S., and other countries and partners that oppose the Chinese Communist Party's influence abroad, must understand and confront Chinese government practices. As China becomes more powerful, the U.S. may itself end up in a position where China's economic power can be used to pressure the U.S. itself. Allen proposes that the U.S. partner with like-minded countries, mainly democracies, to diversify supply chains and engage with countries susceptible to Chinese economic power, demonstrating how engagement with Western markets provides a more sustainable path for development. Doing so will require the U.S. to develop a consistent strategy that sustains being political administrations, avoiding "own goals" that create vacuums for China to exploit, such as withdrawing from the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Allen could have framed her narrative in a broader model of economic power in international relations, showing more clearly how the U.S.'s pursuit of free markets, combined with international sanctions, is itself an exercise in economic power that the Chinese government now confronts. The U.S. should remain committed to its ideals, but must also commit itself to a sustainable, long-term strategy that confronts China's coercive economic statecraft. Beijing Rules covers the most recent events regarding China's coercive economic practices while offering sound advice for policymakers.
Allen rightly shows that the U.S., and other countries and partners that oppose the Chinese Communist Party's influence abroad, must understand and confront Chinese government practices. As China becomes more powerful, the U.S. may itself end up in a position where China's economic power can be used to pressure the U.S. itself. Allen proposes that the U.S. partner with like-minded countries, mainly democracies, to diversify supply chains and engage with countries susceptible to Chinese economic power, demonstrating how engagement with Western markets provides a more sustainable path for development. Doing so will require the U.S. to develop a consistent strategy that sustains being political administrations, avoiding "own goals" that create vacuums for China to exploit, such as withdrawing from the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Allen could have framed her narrative in a broader model of economic power in international relations, showing more clearly how the U.S.'s pursuit of free markets, combined with international sanctions, is itself an exercise in economic power that the Chinese government now confronts. The U.S. should remain committed to its ideals, but must also commit itself to a sustainable, long-term strategy that confronts China's coercive economic statecraft. Beijing Rules covers the most recent events regarding China's coercive economic practices while offering sound advice for policymakers.
January 17, 2024
This is an excellent book on China and how it uses its place within the world to manipulate both domestic and international affairs. It’s a very good book if like me, you are trying to educate yourself on modern Chinese history. The final chapter, which deals with recommendations as to how China’s might can be counter balanced, has a USA slant and is quite technical in places. But nothing should detract from a very good book which gives a lot of information and evidence which seems to be lost to many at this time.
May 19, 2024
Kirja siitä, miten Kiina harjoittaa aggressiivisesti, johdonmukaisesti ja ikävän tehokkaasti epädemokraattista ja ihmisoikeusvastaista politiikkaansa. Useita karmeita ja mielenkiintoisia caseja, miten hallintoihin vaikutetaan käytännössä ja miten Kiina on pakottanut isojakin länsimaisia yrityksiä muuttamaan toimintaansa, jotta pääsy valtaville Kiinan kuluttajamarkkinoille säilyy. Kirja oli ehdolla viime vuoden FT:n vuoden kirjaksi.
February 7, 2026
This is a thoroughly researched and well-written book, showcasing how the PRC has used its economic leverage to coerce nations and companies from around the world. It loses a star for its final chapter, which almost randomly starts insulting neoliberal capitalism - a personal vendetta for the author, I guess.
But for the rest of the book, it is an important wake up call for an apathetic West.
But for the rest of the book, it is an important wake up call for an apathetic West.
December 10, 2023
This is one of the best books I've read in 2023. I read a lot about China. Ms. Allen sounds similar themes/alarms that other authors I read have discussed: Pillsbury, Dikotter, French, Economy, et al.
She has done a magnificent job marshalling her data and analysis to paint and clear and easy to understand picture. China is playing by a different set of "rules". These rules force foreign businesses to compromise their intellectual property. operating procedures, economic interests, and established rules and norms to do business in their country.
Ms. Allen uses the story of China's response to the COVID virus as the clearest indication that this country will lie, cheat, steal, blackmail and harass anybody or any entity that operates in their country from trying to do the right thing and bring their mendacity and duplicity to the greater world's attention. For example, Zoom provided names, addresses, IPL addresses and user IDs of Chinese dissidents in the US who logged into a Tiananmen anniversary presentation. Despite the fact these actions violated US law, and the individuals logged in from locations within the US, Zoom still felt compelled (forced) to provide this information to another government, solely as the cost of doing business in China.
Allen also paints a scary picture of how deeply embedded the Chinese intelligence community is in generic NGO activity in other countries, including ours. Under the guise of international comity, communication, cooperation and outreach to diaspora Chinese communities, the PRC intelligence community has deep roots in our country and exerts influence that would scare more Americans if they paid attention to what was happening under their very noses.
I repeatedly remind my college-age son who studies political science the old adage from Lenin, "the capitalists will sell us the rope we use to hang them." Allen, like other authors before her illustrates how American and European countries will do just about anything to gain, and retain, access to the Chinese market, even when it means violating the laws, regulations, and ethos of doing business in the rest of the world.
These companies enable and abet the CPC to do their dirty bidding internally (think about the treatment of Uighur minority in western China), and externally - boycotting Australian exports because the Australian PM has the temerity to ask China for a truthful and honest reckoning of the genesis of the COVID virus and their initial response to it.
When will the democratic world wake up to the threat this country poses to our way of life? They are telling us what they are going to do, then doing it right in front of our faces; yet we dither and allow economic interests - laser focused on selling in the Chinese market - to dictate a course that harms our economy, our way of life, and the stability of our political system.
If you don't want to read this entire book, read the final chapter and understand the detailed prescriptions Allen gives for us to right this ship. If a young journalist can identify and delineate all these issues so clearly, older, wiser and more-entrenched individuals and policy makers must understand all of this too.
The question remains, why do we allow this to continue? Why do we kowtow (in the modern sense) to the Chinese solely to make money? Isn't retaining our economic strength, our political ideals and our sense of fair play more important than selling our souls to play by the one-sided rules China requires to access their market? When will saner men and women running the multinationals that enable the PRC to behave in this egregious manner look beyond their bottom lines and strive to serve the greater good, beyond their selfish corporate interests? What am I smoking, huh?
This will be the greatest foreign policy challenge my country faces for the remainder of my life - I'm 62 years old. My hope is that our politicians and policy makers have the courage (hah!), the wisdom, and the focus of attention to create rules, regulations and systems to level the playing field and disabuse PRC of thinking this is the only way things can work.
They understand strength. They will continue subtly injecting their economic and political influence into our nations' political and economic systems until we push back. Few of their actions will raise the alarm that must be raised to halt this process. My fear is that too few will heed the alarm and do anything about it. By the time the rest of them wake up to what has been happening, the PRC will be controlling the world's economy and we will be buried too deeply to extricate ourselves and allow democratic, free-markets systems to survive.
She has done a magnificent job marshalling her data and analysis to paint and clear and easy to understand picture. China is playing by a different set of "rules". These rules force foreign businesses to compromise their intellectual property. operating procedures, economic interests, and established rules and norms to do business in their country.
Ms. Allen uses the story of China's response to the COVID virus as the clearest indication that this country will lie, cheat, steal, blackmail and harass anybody or any entity that operates in their country from trying to do the right thing and bring their mendacity and duplicity to the greater world's attention. For example, Zoom provided names, addresses, IPL addresses and user IDs of Chinese dissidents in the US who logged into a Tiananmen anniversary presentation. Despite the fact these actions violated US law, and the individuals logged in from locations within the US, Zoom still felt compelled (forced) to provide this information to another government, solely as the cost of doing business in China.
Allen also paints a scary picture of how deeply embedded the Chinese intelligence community is in generic NGO activity in other countries, including ours. Under the guise of international comity, communication, cooperation and outreach to diaspora Chinese communities, the PRC intelligence community has deep roots in our country and exerts influence that would scare more Americans if they paid attention to what was happening under their very noses.
I repeatedly remind my college-age son who studies political science the old adage from Lenin, "the capitalists will sell us the rope we use to hang them." Allen, like other authors before her illustrates how American and European countries will do just about anything to gain, and retain, access to the Chinese market, even when it means violating the laws, regulations, and ethos of doing business in the rest of the world.
These companies enable and abet the CPC to do their dirty bidding internally (think about the treatment of Uighur minority in western China), and externally - boycotting Australian exports because the Australian PM has the temerity to ask China for a truthful and honest reckoning of the genesis of the COVID virus and their initial response to it.
When will the democratic world wake up to the threat this country poses to our way of life? They are telling us what they are going to do, then doing it right in front of our faces; yet we dither and allow economic interests - laser focused on selling in the Chinese market - to dictate a course that harms our economy, our way of life, and the stability of our political system.
If you don't want to read this entire book, read the final chapter and understand the detailed prescriptions Allen gives for us to right this ship. If a young journalist can identify and delineate all these issues so clearly, older, wiser and more-entrenched individuals and policy makers must understand all of this too.
The question remains, why do we allow this to continue? Why do we kowtow (in the modern sense) to the Chinese solely to make money? Isn't retaining our economic strength, our political ideals and our sense of fair play more important than selling our souls to play by the one-sided rules China requires to access their market? When will saner men and women running the multinationals that enable the PRC to behave in this egregious manner look beyond their bottom lines and strive to serve the greater good, beyond their selfish corporate interests? What am I smoking, huh?
This will be the greatest foreign policy challenge my country faces for the remainder of my life - I'm 62 years old. My hope is that our politicians and policy makers have the courage (hah!), the wisdom, and the focus of attention to create rules, regulations and systems to level the playing field and disabuse PRC of thinking this is the only way things can work.
They understand strength. They will continue subtly injecting their economic and political influence into our nations' political and economic systems until we push back. Few of their actions will raise the alarm that must be raised to halt this process. My fear is that too few will heed the alarm and do anything about it. By the time the rest of them wake up to what has been happening, the PRC will be controlling the world's economy and we will be buried too deeply to extricate ourselves and allow democratic, free-markets systems to survive.
September 6, 2024
The book was A LOT of information, and I'm not a finance person. Sometimes I had to really push myself to focus and not get distracted. I kept making the chapters personal and comparing the information to my time in China as an expat. I did learn a lot. It helped that I listened to the book while following along with the kindle edition. Very well researched with so many sources and citations at end.
Notes I took:
Not sure even what to think yet. Wow! Reading the first chapter brought it all back, because we were there. We lived through the lockdowns, the fake numbers, the temperature testing every time we walked into the building, the green QR code, not being allowed to leave the city…
Book written August 8, 2023. I am glad people are writing more info after the fact. I read books published in 2020 and 2021, but I want to know long-term how Covid is affecting China and the US and the economy.
Authoritarian economic statecraft - rewards and punishments based on gatekeeping access to China’s huge markets, capital, and investments. (State manipulation of international economic activities for strategic purposes)
How is China shaping and influencing the powers beyond their country?
The monopoly China had on facemasks and PPE - wow!
Chapter 1: it is interesting. The list of things the US does not do compared to China, like block social media when someone says something funny against the president or trade or import if someone makes them mad. Political restraint and sanctions
Sister cities?
I had no idea about the zoom and LinkedIn accounts and ownerships. I forget censorship like no Google
I really didn’t understand everything Zoom or with WHO until this book.
I knew nothing about Tedros. Just amazed at how brilliant (if evil sometimes) China’s government/party is, or how much foresight they have to develop relationships with people and leaders years before Covid. “What party leaders cannot control is the reality that some people with power on the international stage choose their jobs and careers because they are committed to something higher than power.”
I wish more Americans would read this book and then appreciate their freedom of speech. Maybe they would post more useful content than just stream of consciousness crap.
This is shocking. It means social media is promoting info to make China look good to other countries, but the info is lies, and the Chinese citizens can’t refute it because they can’t see it. The rise of Chinese government agencies officially building their presence on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram underscores the asymmetrical messaging—viewing the platforms as tools to project propaganda and other official rhetoric internationally while preventing information from flowing back home.
Interesting that China was trying to get more gov officials to post on Twitter, and the US would do better if their leaders couldn’t post.
I didn’t know the different rules of propaganda for countries. USA not allowed.
US China trade war and tariffs - something I didn’t really understand. Combat China’s economic espionage - 2018.
Five Eyes - something I didn’t know about but now see how they were working together (2018) to get other countries onboard and against China’s assertive international strategy.
Ban on Huawei…
I remember the protests in Hong Kong and China making rules for them while we lived in China (and I so love Hong Kong), but I didn’t understand as much of the history or power until this book.
It is sad how silence is a choice, sometimes the only choice, about sanctions and triggering something against China.
Taiwan could not go through China for vaccines. China wouldn’t give Taiwan the vaccines if Taiwan didn’t admit they were part of China. China used the vaccines as a political tool.
Should businesses have a social conscience? Or is it just about profit?
How much leverage do countries have? If we don't let companies into the country, then they don't have to accept their agendas. But what about human rights? Censorship in China is a human rights violation. Beijing believes it has the rights to censor within and outside China.
Should we reduce the power of billionaires and corporations? Is it possible in the US? And would lobbying becoming illegal on behalf of other countries and agents help?
Companies should not be allowed to fire or hire based on censorship and things employees say about China. What about the First Amendment?
I so agree with this: "Strengthen legal protections for private whistleblowers and mandate for-cause termination." Unions should be strengthened. People need to be able to challenge higher powers, especially if they are dealing with authoritarian companies and leaders.
News outlets should be required to share information on both sides of the story and not share disinformation. They shouldn't be allowed to be one-sided. Same with social media. And social media needs to have ways/employees to stop bullying and spying from other countries or spying on employees. Government accounts should be clearly labeled.
If freedom of information is a human right, then censorship is a violation of a human right. This could apply to working with other countries and foreign transactions. Transparency needs to be clear for anything US and China if censorship continues.
The suggestions at the end of the book really do apply and needed to be in place a long time ago. The big news in NY right now with the Chinese aides working for the governors but making things nice for Chinese officials and "buying them things" proves this.
Are we (US) and other countries ready if there were an attack? Not just the Five Eyes but other countries too?
What can we do to solve the problem? I don't want to punish all Chinese just because of China's government and party choices. But the gov officials who are doing illegal things in the US, or Chinese citizens who are paying no taxes in the US and sending their children here and getting free college - something should be done. The interesting part is that I bet it isn't the government leaders, politicians, and supreme court officials reading this book. Regular citizens like me read the book, but what change can I make? I do think that the book brings a lot of awareness not just to what was happening during Covid but also a shoutout to the journalists and people who spoke the truth, even when they knew they were at risk.
I love that the author lived in China for 4 years too and experienced life. I'd love to know what years she lived there. Now she's in Taiwan. :)
Notes I took:
Not sure even what to think yet. Wow! Reading the first chapter brought it all back, because we were there. We lived through the lockdowns, the fake numbers, the temperature testing every time we walked into the building, the green QR code, not being allowed to leave the city…
Book written August 8, 2023. I am glad people are writing more info after the fact. I read books published in 2020 and 2021, but I want to know long-term how Covid is affecting China and the US and the economy.
Authoritarian economic statecraft - rewards and punishments based on gatekeeping access to China’s huge markets, capital, and investments. (State manipulation of international economic activities for strategic purposes)
How is China shaping and influencing the powers beyond their country?
The monopoly China had on facemasks and PPE - wow!
Chapter 1: it is interesting. The list of things the US does not do compared to China, like block social media when someone says something funny against the president or trade or import if someone makes them mad. Political restraint and sanctions
Sister cities?
I had no idea about the zoom and LinkedIn accounts and ownerships. I forget censorship like no Google
I really didn’t understand everything Zoom or with WHO until this book.
I knew nothing about Tedros. Just amazed at how brilliant (if evil sometimes) China’s government/party is, or how much foresight they have to develop relationships with people and leaders years before Covid. “What party leaders cannot control is the reality that some people with power on the international stage choose their jobs and careers because they are committed to something higher than power.”
I wish more Americans would read this book and then appreciate their freedom of speech. Maybe they would post more useful content than just stream of consciousness crap.
This is shocking. It means social media is promoting info to make China look good to other countries, but the info is lies, and the Chinese citizens can’t refute it because they can’t see it. The rise of Chinese government agencies officially building their presence on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram underscores the asymmetrical messaging—viewing the platforms as tools to project propaganda and other official rhetoric internationally while preventing information from flowing back home.
Interesting that China was trying to get more gov officials to post on Twitter, and the US would do better if their leaders couldn’t post.
I didn’t know the different rules of propaganda for countries. USA not allowed.
US China trade war and tariffs - something I didn’t really understand. Combat China’s economic espionage - 2018.
Five Eyes - something I didn’t know about but now see how they were working together (2018) to get other countries onboard and against China’s assertive international strategy.
Ban on Huawei…
I remember the protests in Hong Kong and China making rules for them while we lived in China (and I so love Hong Kong), but I didn’t understand as much of the history or power until this book.
It is sad how silence is a choice, sometimes the only choice, about sanctions and triggering something against China.
Taiwan could not go through China for vaccines. China wouldn’t give Taiwan the vaccines if Taiwan didn’t admit they were part of China. China used the vaccines as a political tool.
Should businesses have a social conscience? Or is it just about profit?
How much leverage do countries have? If we don't let companies into the country, then they don't have to accept their agendas. But what about human rights? Censorship in China is a human rights violation. Beijing believes it has the rights to censor within and outside China.
Should we reduce the power of billionaires and corporations? Is it possible in the US? And would lobbying becoming illegal on behalf of other countries and agents help?
Companies should not be allowed to fire or hire based on censorship and things employees say about China. What about the First Amendment?
I so agree with this: "Strengthen legal protections for private whistleblowers and mandate for-cause termination." Unions should be strengthened. People need to be able to challenge higher powers, especially if they are dealing with authoritarian companies and leaders.
News outlets should be required to share information on both sides of the story and not share disinformation. They shouldn't be allowed to be one-sided. Same with social media. And social media needs to have ways/employees to stop bullying and spying from other countries or spying on employees. Government accounts should be clearly labeled.
If freedom of information is a human right, then censorship is a violation of a human right. This could apply to working with other countries and foreign transactions. Transparency needs to be clear for anything US and China if censorship continues.
The suggestions at the end of the book really do apply and needed to be in place a long time ago. The big news in NY right now with the Chinese aides working for the governors but making things nice for Chinese officials and "buying them things" proves this.
Are we (US) and other countries ready if there were an attack? Not just the Five Eyes but other countries too?
What can we do to solve the problem? I don't want to punish all Chinese just because of China's government and party choices. But the gov officials who are doing illegal things in the US, or Chinese citizens who are paying no taxes in the US and sending their children here and getting free college - something should be done. The interesting part is that I bet it isn't the government leaders, politicians, and supreme court officials reading this book. Regular citizens like me read the book, but what change can I make? I do think that the book brings a lot of awareness not just to what was happening during Covid but also a shoutout to the journalists and people who spoke the truth, even when they knew they were at risk.
I love that the author lived in China for 4 years too and experienced life. I'd love to know what years she lived there. Now she's in Taiwan. :)
June 14, 2025
Honestly, not sure how to review this book. It should have been an article (okay, two articles maybe), but there isn't enough material here for a whole book. The writing is tiresome, the facts are being repeated through the chapter, which makes it seem like the author just didn't have enough cases to showcase. The final chapter what the free world (US) needs to do to conterbalance the authoritarian regime of PRC can be boiled down to three words: Control, Control, Control. The government needs to tell companies what to do, the employees need to tell companies what to do (and be protected by the government), US needs to tell its allies what to do... but keep trade with China, just don't concentrate on the profits, concentrate on ethics... mmmkay, seems very manageable. I thought the final chapter would focus more on diversification of trade and building bridges with other countries in the region, like it was suggested in the middle of the book. Oh, well.
January 22, 2024
I found the book to have a wealth of information and facts, yet being a very disjointed read, where the chapters were independent news articles, and the book ending with a bunch of dry policy options.
March 26, 2025
I said a lot of my current thoughts on china in the review for red carpet, but recently I've been thinking about democratic accountability. The US is no stranger to committing atrocities. Since our inception, we've perpetrated extreme, vicious, and continual violence against native populations. We've used our military and intelligence complexes to maintain our hegemony and extract natural resources from less powerful nations. We have operated as an empire but the strength of our coercive power comes from economic and diplomatic means, which we've somehow convinced ourselves are different than the imperial and colonial ways of the past. Then we turn around and tout the primary consequence of China becoming a superpower that they can commit these atrocities without accountability. They will not heed to international pressure or their people. They won't even let their people speak out! And I believed this idea. I have believed that our democracy makes us more capable of good than an autocracy. Yes, there are all these countless historical examples of times we have done terrible things. But its different now. Because now we have the internet; we have the democratization of media; the proliferation of a voice to the masses; and the distribution of camera(s) to every single person on this planet. The atrocities of the past were allowed to transpire because rogue individuals with self righteous yet incorrect perceptions of American ideals misguidedly believed they were doing something for their country (or shamelessly for themselves) and in the process did something horrible. But that only happened because people weren't able to stop it in time, because the people who knew didn't have a voice and the people who would care didn't know until after the fact. And so it is only with the modern advantages of today's technology that these catastrophic "mishaps" can be avoided.
Except that clearly isn't true. Because all of the requisite conditions exist and yet atrocities still occur. The US is directly responsible for and continuing their support for a genocide perpetrated by the identity group that is most familiar with it. And its all out in the open; its all reported on and recorded. Instead of this leading to "democratic accountability" or the ousting of the officials that allowed this to happen or regime change, our democracry has only enabled us to double down on it. The leader of the free world is arresting and deporting people for speaking out against this genocide. Its not the first time the US has jailed dissidents, but it is the first time they've done so in the spotlight of the public eye and no one has stopped it. I don't see how America can claim that democracy, in hand with the fourth branch of government, can claim rightousness when the conditions that enabled prior atrocities no longer exist and atrocities continue to happen. How can we claim a autocratic, central and omnipotent government is more dangerous when they are no more capable of wrongdoing than we. I sincerely hope my views on this are exacerbated by recency bias and, in time, all will be sorted out. I know history will not look kindly on the war in Gaza and democracies are exceedingly slow at responding to stimuli, I just didn't ever think that slowness could manifest as popular support for genocide in the face of all the evidence exposing it. The marketplace of ideas has been poisoned by ideas. I've always believed that the way to fight bad ideas is with more, good ideas. Stupid people are inevitable, but the law of averages dictates that eh it should be fine. If enough people understand it, then other people will understand a portion of that and other people will understand a portion of that and while there might be some resistance and the occasional regression, the best idea will be chosen. But that has not happened in the information age. A multiplicity of information has arrived us to a post-truth society where analysis is detested by a plurality to the degree that experts are seen as having less authority on their field than arm chair amateurs. Science is fake. Education is elitist. And anything that doesn't support the amorphous and sometimes contradictory policy views of your most salient identity is fake and wrong.
The book talks about the ways in which China has thrown around its economic punching weight to exact power over developing countries and its adversaries. And it is by no means a good thing for China to do that. But I also think its strange to offer that in contrast to the United States, which has done that and continues to do that for the entirety of its history, especially since it achieved the title of world reserve currency and post-cold war singular hegemony. The US has been in that position for long enough that they've managed to disguise their guiding hand as international institutions that demand compliance from the world by means of incentives. It may not appear to be an extension of the US and sometimes the US may even lose a dispute because of it, but the institutions are still infused with the ideology of the US. China doesn't have the same luxury to the same degree. So china bad, yes. But is china worse? idk.
4/10.
Except that clearly isn't true. Because all of the requisite conditions exist and yet atrocities still occur. The US is directly responsible for and continuing their support for a genocide perpetrated by the identity group that is most familiar with it. And its all out in the open; its all reported on and recorded. Instead of this leading to "democratic accountability" or the ousting of the officials that allowed this to happen or regime change, our democracry has only enabled us to double down on it. The leader of the free world is arresting and deporting people for speaking out against this genocide. Its not the first time the US has jailed dissidents, but it is the first time they've done so in the spotlight of the public eye and no one has stopped it. I don't see how America can claim that democracy, in hand with the fourth branch of government, can claim rightousness when the conditions that enabled prior atrocities no longer exist and atrocities continue to happen. How can we claim a autocratic, central and omnipotent government is more dangerous when they are no more capable of wrongdoing than we. I sincerely hope my views on this are exacerbated by recency bias and, in time, all will be sorted out. I know history will not look kindly on the war in Gaza and democracies are exceedingly slow at responding to stimuli, I just didn't ever think that slowness could manifest as popular support for genocide in the face of all the evidence exposing it. The marketplace of ideas has been poisoned by ideas. I've always believed that the way to fight bad ideas is with more, good ideas. Stupid people are inevitable, but the law of averages dictates that eh it should be fine. If enough people understand it, then other people will understand a portion of that and other people will understand a portion of that and while there might be some resistance and the occasional regression, the best idea will be chosen. But that has not happened in the information age. A multiplicity of information has arrived us to a post-truth society where analysis is detested by a plurality to the degree that experts are seen as having less authority on their field than arm chair amateurs. Science is fake. Education is elitist. And anything that doesn't support the amorphous and sometimes contradictory policy views of your most salient identity is fake and wrong.
The book talks about the ways in which China has thrown around its economic punching weight to exact power over developing countries and its adversaries. And it is by no means a good thing for China to do that. But I also think its strange to offer that in contrast to the United States, which has done that and continues to do that for the entirety of its history, especially since it achieved the title of world reserve currency and post-cold war singular hegemony. The US has been in that position for long enough that they've managed to disguise their guiding hand as international institutions that demand compliance from the world by means of incentives. It may not appear to be an extension of the US and sometimes the US may even lose a dispute because of it, but the institutions are still infused with the ideology of the US. China doesn't have the same luxury to the same degree. So china bad, yes. But is china worse? idk.
4/10.
May 1, 2024
Defeating China by becoming China?
July 13, 2024
Good insights into the way China weaponised its economy over the years
September 28, 2025
Must read if you want an US-biased view on China
December 20, 2025
𝐈 𝐑𝐄𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐍𝐎𝐓 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐒 𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐊. 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐀 𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐄 𝐀𝐌𝐄𝐑𝐈𝐂𝐀𝐍-𝐏𝐀𝐈𝐃-𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐃 𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐀 𝐓𝐎 𝐁𝐀𝐃𝐌𝐎𝐔𝐓𝐇 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐀 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐔𝐓 𝐀𝐍𝐘 𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄.
Better ask about all the military coups that the USA has financed around the world and now in Venezuela.
When a book like this is nominated, it clearly means that it is one funded by think tanks.
This little joke forgets the century of humiliation that European powers subjected China to plunder it. She is a little motherfucker and a liar.
As soon as I read the first paragraph, I knew what this book was about: just another one from Western Hemisphere think tanks trying to denigrate China, a country they can't compete with and want to destroy at all costs because it opposes the predatory model of Western capitalism. The journalist, another Jewish supporter of the Palestinian genocide, wrote this book full of falsehoods and prejudices. I finished it because I don't like to put books down, but the methods and lies are so repetitive that you can tell how they write and how they develop the topic.
Also, the text has this, which are typical sign that it was written by an AI, the signature that the AI gives, so the reader knows that it is not a human who wrote; they do this because it is a very unusual character.
It's funny, or tragic, who knows, that Jewish Americans talk about human rights, when a) she supports the Palestine Genocide, b) you can get shot and killed in any corner in the US.
What bothers her and these scoundrels is that capital, subject to politics, ultimately favors social development, which is what China does, and not the other way around, with the revolving door, where politics is subject to capital and the interests of a few.
Really, anything this mini says about China pales in comparison to the USA, especially since the Monroe Doctrine and the bullshit of
Kissinger and done in Latin America and in the world, actually, and the madness that Trump, desperate because he cannot face China, is doing. This mine really doesn't have its ducklings lined up...it's a Lemoine.
This woman is crazy in the head. "The U.S. missile defense system was installed on what had been Lotte-owned land." How can they install missiles on private property and not expect sanctions?
The woman complains about the BRICS... and what did the British do in India, Argentina, and the rest of Latin America between 1860 and 1930? What a stupid woman, for God's sake!!!!
The underlying problem is that greedy and predatory capitalism thought that with China, it would do the same as with Japan and Southeast Asia: cheap labor at its service. What it found was a country determined not to be humiliated again, as in 1850-1950. The hegemony exercised by the Communist Party prevents capitalism from finding loopholes to buy influence, as happens in, for example, Argentina, a country that became a puppet of the USA, thanks to the mentally unbalanced Milei.
What fault does China have that the greedy and predatory capitalism of the USA decided to destroy its own industries? If they couldn't manufacture their own PPE, it's not China's fault that, with common sense, it prioritized its own population. The author, a complete idiot, does everything to discredit China.
It's unbelievable, this woman accuses Huawei of being led by former PLA members, when in the USA, there's a revolving door between the public and private sectors. The double standard of the right wing has no limits.
She was talking about COVID-19, and suddenly she pulled out a chapter about a supposed Chinese Mata Hari... the book makes no sense.
This woman is completely out of her mind; she has problems because a Chinese man donated $300K, but not because of the $250,000,000 that Elon Musk donated or the 747 presidential plane that Qatar donated? She talks about a Chinese political prisoner when the USA has 2 million, mostly for racial reasons... what a hypocrite. She complains that the Tiananmen Square massacre isn't talked about in China, which is a lie, while in schools, they censor evolution and Marxism, how hypocritical.
LinkedIn Freedom of expression hahaha LinkedIn isn't for humblebragging about your corner office or "crushing Q3." It's for diagnosing civilizational collapse. For years, this platform has been flooded with "thought leaders" selling empty productivity hacks while the world burns.
The girl talks about China spying, but what about the software and all the backdoors that US software has? Including Apple, which claims to protect privacy, but is always at the service of the CIA/FBI and doesn't even admit it. She talks about the massive protests in Hong Kong, but what about the massive anti-Trump protests in the US that were repressed by the American army?
It's something to laugh at, or cry about, I don't know, the girl criticizing Zimbabwe's healthcare system when in the US and Australia, if you don't have money, you die miserably in the streets.
The height of absurdity is that Chapter 7 claims China is adopting Russia's disinformation systems...when the book this girl is writing...
Better ask about all the military coups that the USA has financed around the world and now in Venezuela.
When a book like this is nominated, it clearly means that it is one funded by think tanks.
This little joke forgets the century of humiliation that European powers subjected China to plunder it. She is a little motherfucker and a liar.
As soon as I read the first paragraph, I knew what this book was about: just another one from Western Hemisphere think tanks trying to denigrate China, a country they can't compete with and want to destroy at all costs because it opposes the predatory model of Western capitalism. The journalist, another Jewish supporter of the Palestinian genocide, wrote this book full of falsehoods and prejudices. I finished it because I don't like to put books down, but the methods and lies are so repetitive that you can tell how they write and how they develop the topic.
Also, the text has this, which are typical sign that it was written by an AI, the signature that the AI gives, so the reader knows that it is not a human who wrote; they do this because it is a very unusual character.
It's funny, or tragic, who knows, that Jewish Americans talk about human rights, when a) she supports the Palestine Genocide, b) you can get shot and killed in any corner in the US.
What bothers her and these scoundrels is that capital, subject to politics, ultimately favors social development, which is what China does, and not the other way around, with the revolving door, where politics is subject to capital and the interests of a few.
Really, anything this mini says about China pales in comparison to the USA, especially since the Monroe Doctrine and the bullshit of
Kissinger and done in Latin America and in the world, actually, and the madness that Trump, desperate because he cannot face China, is doing. This mine really doesn't have its ducklings lined up...it's a Lemoine.
This woman is crazy in the head. "The U.S. missile defense system was installed on what had been Lotte-owned land." How can they install missiles on private property and not expect sanctions?
The woman complains about the BRICS... and what did the British do in India, Argentina, and the rest of Latin America between 1860 and 1930? What a stupid woman, for God's sake!!!!
The underlying problem is that greedy and predatory capitalism thought that with China, it would do the same as with Japan and Southeast Asia: cheap labor at its service. What it found was a country determined not to be humiliated again, as in 1850-1950. The hegemony exercised by the Communist Party prevents capitalism from finding loopholes to buy influence, as happens in, for example, Argentina, a country that became a puppet of the USA, thanks to the mentally unbalanced Milei.
What fault does China have that the greedy and predatory capitalism of the USA decided to destroy its own industries? If they couldn't manufacture their own PPE, it's not China's fault that, with common sense, it prioritized its own population. The author, a complete idiot, does everything to discredit China.
It's unbelievable, this woman accuses Huawei of being led by former PLA members, when in the USA, there's a revolving door between the public and private sectors. The double standard of the right wing has no limits.
She was talking about COVID-19, and suddenly she pulled out a chapter about a supposed Chinese Mata Hari... the book makes no sense.
This woman is completely out of her mind; she has problems because a Chinese man donated $300K, but not because of the $250,000,000 that Elon Musk donated or the 747 presidential plane that Qatar donated? She talks about a Chinese political prisoner when the USA has 2 million, mostly for racial reasons... what a hypocrite. She complains that the Tiananmen Square massacre isn't talked about in China, which is a lie, while in schools, they censor evolution and Marxism, how hypocritical.
LinkedIn Freedom of expression hahaha LinkedIn isn't for humblebragging about your corner office or "crushing Q3." It's for diagnosing civilizational collapse. For years, this platform has been flooded with "thought leaders" selling empty productivity hacks while the world burns.
The girl talks about China spying, but what about the software and all the backdoors that US software has? Including Apple, which claims to protect privacy, but is always at the service of the CIA/FBI and doesn't even admit it. She talks about the massive protests in Hong Kong, but what about the massive anti-Trump protests in the US that were repressed by the American army?
It's something to laugh at, or cry about, I don't know, the girl criticizing Zimbabwe's healthcare system when in the US and Australia, if you don't have money, you die miserably in the streets.
The height of absurdity is that Chapter 7 claims China is adopting Russia's disinformation systems...when the book this girl is writing...
October 20, 2023
Thousands of Hong Kong residents congregated, as they were doing on an annual basis, in June 2014 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre. A catastrophe which Beijing has been wildly successful in obfuscating. However, to the absolute horror and bewilderment of the protestors, a fair number of dreaded Islamist terrorists had infiltrated the protests in 2014. Or at least Twitter claimed so. One tweet even gave a spectacularly precise description of one of the would-be attackers and his dangerous implements – “five feet ten inches tall, weighing around 154 pounds, wearing a black headband just like us; a knife with jagged edges is protruding from his bag.” Ultimately, neither the tweet nor the one tweeting turned out to be authentic. The twitter handles represented English names followed by an indecipherable sequence of random numbers. Innumerable copycats replicated the same message.
Award winning Taiwanese journalist Bethany Allen, in her meticulously researched book, “Beijing Rules”, lays down how Beijing and the CCP leave no stone unturned in exercising both overt and covert influence over the global populace to further China’s political and military interests.
Social media is a preferred medium for China to purvey its interests. The Anhui Province Culture and Tourism Department awarded contract worth approximately 2-million-yuan contract to the Xinhua News Agency’s News and Information Center to manage the Department’s social media accounts. The appointment came with an attached condition. Xinhua should show an increase the number of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram followers by at least 10 percent by the end of the contract period.
Much of China’s covert influence is exercised by an organisation bearing the unimaginative and prosaic name of United Front Work Department. The United Front exists in relative obscurity within the bowels of the powerful Chinese Communist Party (CCP). But there is nothing that is either reticent or reluctant when it comes to the remit of the United Front. Recruiting non-CCP members to promote China’s interests, the United Front offers luring baits such as payments and political donations to influence. Leaked screenshots published in the Washington Post in 2019 depicted Chinese embassy officials in Ottawa instructing students of Chinese descent to find out information about a talk at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, on rights of Uyghur minorities in China, and to collect data on whether Chinese nationals were involved in organizing the Canadian event. Even celebrities such as Jackie Chan know-tow to the philosophy of the United Front by mouthing platitudes and singing the glories of the CPC, literally. Chan, in fact appears on state sponsored Chinese television singing patriotic songs and ballads such as “Amazing China”.
The tentacles of Chinese surveillance have the world within their vice like grip. As Allen describes with frightening clarity, even the online meeting platform Zoom, had no choice but to be subservient to the interests of Beijing. Asked to train its sights on Chinese dissidents residing in the United States, Zoom handed over invaluable and confidential data such as the IP addresses and locational details of such dissidents to China on a platter!
China then systematically proceeded to disrupt meetings on the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. In the words of former student leader Wang Dan, who was one of the people whose meetings were interrupted, “It kind of hurt the democracy in the United States. It’s not only an attack on Chinese dissidents. It’s an attack on American society. Because Zoom is an American company.”
Allen terms the Chinese Government’s pernicious practices, “authoritarian economic statecraft”. Such economic statecraft encompasses within its remit non-state actors such as Chinese spy Christine Fang, who allegedly spread Beijing’s influence by seducing California congressman Eric Swalwell and other politicians.
Beijing Rules – a terrifying insight into the chicanery and manipulative intentions of Xi Jin Ping’s indiscreet China.
Award winning Taiwanese journalist Bethany Allen, in her meticulously researched book, “Beijing Rules”, lays down how Beijing and the CCP leave no stone unturned in exercising both overt and covert influence over the global populace to further China’s political and military interests.
Social media is a preferred medium for China to purvey its interests. The Anhui Province Culture and Tourism Department awarded contract worth approximately 2-million-yuan contract to the Xinhua News Agency’s News and Information Center to manage the Department’s social media accounts. The appointment came with an attached condition. Xinhua should show an increase the number of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram followers by at least 10 percent by the end of the contract period.
Much of China’s covert influence is exercised by an organisation bearing the unimaginative and prosaic name of United Front Work Department. The United Front exists in relative obscurity within the bowels of the powerful Chinese Communist Party (CCP). But there is nothing that is either reticent or reluctant when it comes to the remit of the United Front. Recruiting non-CCP members to promote China’s interests, the United Front offers luring baits such as payments and political donations to influence. Leaked screenshots published in the Washington Post in 2019 depicted Chinese embassy officials in Ottawa instructing students of Chinese descent to find out information about a talk at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, on rights of Uyghur minorities in China, and to collect data on whether Chinese nationals were involved in organizing the Canadian event. Even celebrities such as Jackie Chan know-tow to the philosophy of the United Front by mouthing platitudes and singing the glories of the CPC, literally. Chan, in fact appears on state sponsored Chinese television singing patriotic songs and ballads such as “Amazing China”.
The tentacles of Chinese surveillance have the world within their vice like grip. As Allen describes with frightening clarity, even the online meeting platform Zoom, had no choice but to be subservient to the interests of Beijing. Asked to train its sights on Chinese dissidents residing in the United States, Zoom handed over invaluable and confidential data such as the IP addresses and locational details of such dissidents to China on a platter!
China then systematically proceeded to disrupt meetings on the 1989 Tiananmen massacre. In the words of former student leader Wang Dan, who was one of the people whose meetings were interrupted, “It kind of hurt the democracy in the United States. It’s not only an attack on Chinese dissidents. It’s an attack on American society. Because Zoom is an American company.”
Allen terms the Chinese Government’s pernicious practices, “authoritarian economic statecraft”. Such economic statecraft encompasses within its remit non-state actors such as Chinese spy Christine Fang, who allegedly spread Beijing’s influence by seducing California congressman Eric Swalwell and other politicians.
Beijing Rules – a terrifying insight into the chicanery and manipulative intentions of Xi Jin Ping’s indiscreet China.
November 2, 2023
💬Beijing Rules: refers to strategies & tactics employed by the Chinese government to assert its authority & influence by leveraging its economic power. This concept shows how China uses a variety of methods to exert economic power & achieve political goals, redefining international economic & policies.
Serves as a critical examination of China's wielding of its economic power & the consequential impact on global affairs. China adopted a strategic approach whereby it utilises its economy as a means to dominate global narratives to maintain order. Encompasses an analysis of China's National Security Law implemented in Hong Kong, the phenomenon of global vaccine diplomacy, & the intricate dynamics of geopolitical economic manipulation. On China's economic power & authoritarian capitalism that challenge global norms, redefine international relations, & affect the global economy/democracy. Discusses how China's authoritarian capitalism threatens the international order & how democratic nations can respond.
Allen emphasises authoritarian capitalism in China, where gov controls the dual system of economics & political affairs where it combines a controlled economy with authoritarian rule—the gov controls private businesses & economic activities. This system facilitates state's ability to exert economic & political influence, thereby establishing a connection between gov's political objectives & economic activities/authority.
🔍So what does it means? How does China's economic power affect global economy?
It impacts the global economy in multifaceted ways. Allen describes how China's economic power influence/shapes global economic dynamics—China is a global power due to its rapid economic growth, market size, & trade contributions. Economic statecraft like the 'Belt & Road Initiative' & 'vaccine diplomacy' increase its impact on global economic affairs i.e., through 'vaccine diplomacy' it lead the pandemic response, disrupting the global economy & geopolitics. Allen also unravels China's authoritarian capitalist approach which gives rise to phenomena that challenges global economic order, democratic values, & international bodies, redefining geopolitics under Beijing rules.
Serves as a critical examination of China's wielding of its economic power & the consequential impact on global affairs. China adopted a strategic approach whereby it utilises its economy as a means to dominate global narratives to maintain order. Encompasses an analysis of China's National Security Law implemented in Hong Kong, the phenomenon of global vaccine diplomacy, & the intricate dynamics of geopolitical economic manipulation. On China's economic power & authoritarian capitalism that challenge global norms, redefine international relations, & affect the global economy/democracy. Discusses how China's authoritarian capitalism threatens the international order & how democratic nations can respond.
Allen emphasises authoritarian capitalism in China, where gov controls the dual system of economics & political affairs where it combines a controlled economy with authoritarian rule—the gov controls private businesses & economic activities. This system facilitates state's ability to exert economic & political influence, thereby establishing a connection between gov's political objectives & economic activities/authority.
🔍So what does it means? How does China's economic power affect global economy?
It impacts the global economy in multifaceted ways. Allen describes how China's economic power influence/shapes global economic dynamics—China is a global power due to its rapid economic growth, market size, & trade contributions. Economic statecraft like the 'Belt & Road Initiative' & 'vaccine diplomacy' increase its impact on global economic affairs i.e., through 'vaccine diplomacy' it lead the pandemic response, disrupting the global economy & geopolitics. Allen also unravels China's authoritarian capitalist approach which gives rise to phenomena that challenges global economic order, democratic values, & international bodies, redefining geopolitics under Beijing rules.
November 5, 2025
The author's background includes working at Axios as one of their China reporters and having lived in China for several years. Accordingly, the book is primarily investigative journalism in nature. There are no direct citations; rather, in the back of the book a large section of "Notes" contains hundreds of sources of information--mostly links to thinktank, government, and especially news articles. Lucid and with good information density, there's little to complaint about in the way of writing.
The core content mostly boils down to an expertly curated collection of China's bad behavior abroad, largely focused on economic coercion and how China wields market access to influence nations and businesses. Equal time is spent providing examples of transnational propaganda on social media, censorship of expats, spycraft, and other means that the CCP employs for leverage and narrative control (especially and above all as it relates to preserving Party legitimacy).
The last chapter provides a suite of anti-coercion policy recommendations, with an primary focus towards a US audience. There's an anti-neoliberalism motif there and throughout the book. The following paragraph nicely ties these themes together: "Unilateral neoliberalism--given that China's system certainly isn't neoliberal--is the perfect environment for a globalized economic statecraft like China's to flourish. When it is China against individual actors in the market, the power is stacked in the Chinese Communist Party's favor ... In the realm of diplomacy, China prefers bilateral agreements over multilateral ones, because it guarantees the upper hand. A neoliberal trade environment can, at times, represent an even more extreme power balance: that of the Chinese Communist Party versus an individual company."
The core content mostly boils down to an expertly curated collection of China's bad behavior abroad, largely focused on economic coercion and how China wields market access to influence nations and businesses. Equal time is spent providing examples of transnational propaganda on social media, censorship of expats, spycraft, and other means that the CCP employs for leverage and narrative control (especially and above all as it relates to preserving Party legitimacy).
The last chapter provides a suite of anti-coercion policy recommendations, with an primary focus towards a US audience. There's an anti-neoliberalism motif there and throughout the book. The following paragraph nicely ties these themes together: "Unilateral neoliberalism--given that China's system certainly isn't neoliberal--is the perfect environment for a globalized economic statecraft like China's to flourish. When it is China against individual actors in the market, the power is stacked in the Chinese Communist Party's favor ... In the realm of diplomacy, China prefers bilateral agreements over multilateral ones, because it guarantees the upper hand. A neoliberal trade environment can, at times, represent an even more extreme power balance: that of the Chinese Communist Party versus an individual company."
January 23, 2026
Beijing Rules is a solid and informative deep dive into the mechanics of economic coercion and China’s evolving role on the global stage. While I ultimately settled on a 3-star rating, it sits very close to a 4 for its research and clarity.
What worked:
Even as someone who has studied this subject extensively, I found value in the specific nuances Allen highlights. The book does a great job of connecting the dots between economic policy and its direct impact on liberal democracies, offering a few "under-the-radar" examples of influence that I hadn't previously encountered. It is clearly well-researched and serves as a vital wake-up call for those less familiar with the topic.
Why it didn’t reach 4 stars:
• Pacing: The primary reason for the rating is the reading experience itself. It wasn't a "page-turner" for me; I didn't feel that compulsive need to keep reading chapter after chapter. The prose is functional but lacks the narrative drive that makes some non-fiction truly gripping;
• Depth for Advanced Readers: While the nuances were appreciated, the core arguments didn't necessarily challenge or transform my existing understanding of the field, given my prior studies. It felt more like a thorough reinforcement of known patterns rather than a groundbreaking new theory.
It is a "Sufficient +" - a more than competent academic and journalistic effort that is essential for newcomers, but perhaps a bit "safe" for those already deeply immersed in geopolitical analysis.
What worked:
Even as someone who has studied this subject extensively, I found value in the specific nuances Allen highlights. The book does a great job of connecting the dots between economic policy and its direct impact on liberal democracies, offering a few "under-the-radar" examples of influence that I hadn't previously encountered. It is clearly well-researched and serves as a vital wake-up call for those less familiar with the topic.
Why it didn’t reach 4 stars:
• Pacing: The primary reason for the rating is the reading experience itself. It wasn't a "page-turner" for me; I didn't feel that compulsive need to keep reading chapter after chapter. The prose is functional but lacks the narrative drive that makes some non-fiction truly gripping;
• Depth for Advanced Readers: While the nuances were appreciated, the core arguments didn't necessarily challenge or transform my existing understanding of the field, given my prior studies. It felt more like a thorough reinforcement of known patterns rather than a groundbreaking new theory.
It is a "Sufficient +" - a more than competent academic and journalistic effort that is essential for newcomers, but perhaps a bit "safe" for those already deeply immersed in geopolitical analysis.
October 7, 2023
Bethany Allen does a good job articulating the manipulation and lies of the Chinese government. Of particular interest in this book is the outright fraud China engaged in related to COVID-19. The book is politically balanced and the storytelling relating to China's COVID malpractice only deals with facts and doesn't embrace crazy conspiracies.
The book also covers economic warfare and is the correct length. Still, I would have been interested in hearing more details on the relationships between the government and Chinese state-owned enterprises.
Other topics the book does a great job summarizing China's authoritarian takeover of Hong Kong and the utilization of State-Owned Enterprise to purchase critical infrastructure around the world. Allen consistently points to laws and actions that make it clear that China believes they have the right to silence speech globally. Unfortunately, China is becoming more aggressive in weaponizing its economy every year.
The book also covers economic warfare and is the correct length. Still, I would have been interested in hearing more details on the relationships between the government and Chinese state-owned enterprises.
Other topics the book does a great job summarizing China's authoritarian takeover of Hong Kong and the utilization of State-Owned Enterprise to purchase critical infrastructure around the world. Allen consistently points to laws and actions that make it clear that China believes they have the right to silence speech globally. Unfortunately, China is becoming more aggressive in weaponizing its economy every year.
January 14, 2024
Allen is an excellent journalist, but I felt a bit disappointed by the book. The key argument is that China (as a more authoritarian society) is able to organize its economy and take actions in its national interest (prioritizing certain industries, pressuring other nations...) that The West cannot do because we are more decentralized and have commitments to "neoliberal" principles like free trade etc. It's probably correct to suggest we should act more collectively against a lot of de facto sanctions (e.g., without declaring sanctions, China has seemed to respond by raising 'safety' or similar concerns about the products from some smaller countries).
Still, I felt like this justified more of a long news read vs a whole book. And, speaking politically, it essentially takes the definition of "neoliberal" etc for granted and thus enters (without much in the way of discussion) into some of these silly internet debates about neoliberal vs liberal etc.
Still, I felt like this justified more of a long news read vs a whole book. And, speaking politically, it essentially takes the definition of "neoliberal" etc for granted and thus enters (without much in the way of discussion) into some of these silly internet debates about neoliberal vs liberal etc.
September 6, 2023
This book was both descriptive as well as proscriptive. Each chapter develops themes of the concerted effort of the Chinese Communist Party to influence if not dominate some area of modern life. Beginning with the COVID pandemic and on through theft of intellectual property and intimidation of all governments friendly to Taiwan, one can see how aggressive China is in staking its claim as a dominant world power.
I appreciated the strong recommendations that follow in the final chapters. There are things that we can and need to do to stem the domination and coercion China is exerting on the free-world.
I both read and listened to this book (via www.scribd.com).
I think you will find it interesting, varied and with just the right amount of detail.
rt
I appreciated the strong recommendations that follow in the final chapters. There are things that we can and need to do to stem the domination and coercion China is exerting on the free-world.
I both read and listened to this book (via www.scribd.com).
I think you will find it interesting, varied and with just the right amount of detail.
rt
January 22, 2024
A very eye opening book about China. A few things stood out to me. One was Chinese efforts to censor and harass Chinese nationals living abroad. Especially those that are USA citizens. Unbelievable. Two, companies are not fighting Chinese companies but instead the whole Chinese authoritarian state. If you do business with them there's the whole laundry list of things you have to agree to, like don't ask about the Uyghurs or Tibet. Or censorship. Also disturbing is how Zoom turned over administrative access and control to the Chinese government in order to business there (China's standard method of operation, the point of the book!) as well as LinkedIN, who ended up censoring the author.
A good read for those concerned about China.
Phil Kuhn
A good read for those concerned about China.
Phil Kuhn
October 7, 2023
I found this book to be a very good overview of the past few years of China's activity regarding other nations. I knew very limited about the topic previously and now feel that I could have a casual discussion about it. The book was highly informative and interesting, but was definitely on a higher level that I'm used to reading. For me, I'm guessing this is going to be one of those books that I grasp more of the more I reread, and I look forward to the opportunity to pick it up again. I'd recommend it to anyone looking for somewhere to start when reading about the Chinese government and their policies.
December 30, 2024
This is a solid book that takes a look across different verticals on how China's government leverages its large economic power for political benefits. Taken all together it's quite troubling and leads one to be concerned about the future.
I do think the author does have a solutions section but that didn't quite feel satisfactory. Any sort of significant political action will have economic consequences and as such there's no popular way to deal with issues that are unpopular.
It's good information and the writing is compelling.
I do think the author does have a solutions section but that didn't quite feel satisfactory. Any sort of significant political action will have economic consequences and as such there's no popular way to deal with issues that are unpopular.
It's good information and the writing is compelling.
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