Sinostan: China's Inadvertent Empire

by Raffaello Pantucci, Alexandros Petersen

Based on more than a decade's writing, research, and travel, this book offers a rare glimpse into China's expanding economic, cultural, and political power in the Eurasian heartland.

China's rise is changing the world. Much attention has been given to how China's geo-economic vision is playing out in the global economy, or how its technology is reshaping the planet, yet it is over its western borders, in Central Asia, that China's influence has been quietly expanding in a more pervasive way. It is here that you can find the first strand of Xi Jinping's grand Belt and Road Initiative, China's new Silk Road to the West. It is to the Eurasian heartland that we can look for an understanding of China's new foreign policy vision and its consequences.

In Sinostan , two acclaimed foreign policy experts recount their travels across Central Asia to keep their finger on the pulse and tell the story of China's growing influence. They interview Chinese traders in latter day Silk Road bazaars; climb remote mountain passes threatened by construction; commiserate with Afghan archaeologists charged with saving centuries-old Buddhist ruins before they are swept away by mining projects; meet with eager young Central Asians learning Mandarin; and sit with officials in all five Central Asian capitals, bearing witness to a region increasingly transformed by Beijing's presence. Their stories and experiences illustrate how China's foreign policy initiative has expressed itself on the ground, and what it means for those living both within and beyond the boundaries of its 'inadvertent empire'.

Genres: China, Politics, Asia, History, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

Published July 14, 2022

Reviews

[Shrike58 · Rating 3 out of 5]

In regards to the tripod representing reportage, history, and analysis, this offering is the sort of current affairs book that is somewhat short on history as opposed to the other two agendas. Frankly, one suspects that Pantucci mostly finished this book as a homage to his co-writer, who wound up being murdered in Afghanistan; a document of their joint adventures in the region.

Be that as it may, Pantucci is mostly offering a commentary on how Beijing was/is acquiring a zone of influence, if not an empire in the former Soviet states of Central Asia, though Pantucci sees the main impetus as originally coming from the effort to suppress anti-Han sentiment in Xinjiang. The argument being that the New Silk Road is basically an example of the CCP's play-book of offering prosperity in exchange for authority. Keep in mind that Beijing has had visions of bringing Xinjiang under central control since the peak of the Qing Dynasty.

Still, and probably to no surprise of Pantucci, this book is becoming dated fast. He has tried to work the great COVID pandemic into the mix, but this book is obviously too late to be influenced by the Russo-Ukrainian War, or Donald Trump's efforts to shake down the global economy.

Probably most important recent development is the rising sense that Xi Jinping, who had the vision of the New Silk Road, has had his wings clipped by the elders of the Chinese Communist Party, and will apparently be out of power by the end of the year. Though it seems unlikely that this event, in and of itself, will be sufficient to roll back the current Chinese tide. If the global co-prosperity system that dominated the world after the fall of the Soviet Union has run its course, Beijing is certainly going to strive even harder to carved out its own version of self-sufficiency; regardless of who is in charge.

[Mark E · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great title for a book, not matched by the quality of the read, alas. This doesn’t have the authority of a Peter Frankopan or Peter Hopkirk. The writing does not flow like it is written (or edited) by a native English speaker. The paragraphs are often long and clause-heavy. Sadly for a Oxford publication, there are several typos. Too much reliance on poorly re-told comments from local people. Too little focus on the period from 2014-2023. Too little focus on the Chinese mind-control factories in Xinjiang - and whether/how this impacts the Stans. What a shame

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

More of a meandering travelogue. Limited analysis and lacking structure.

[T. Collins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This has a lot of good information in it, especially if you're like me and you don't really know a whole lot about China's involvement in Central Asia. Others have pointed out, correctly, that a lot of the information is over a decade old, which was already dated by the time the book was published, but I think that has its utility as well because it can help provide the context for now current events. Just due to the dated nature of some of the reporting, you would have to read both this and either some other books or keep up with the news coming out of Central Asia to get the most out of this, however.

At times, I think this can be a little thin on analysis as the bulk of it is focused on just the facts that the authors could verify. However, that is a strength of the book. Because it focuses heavily on just the events and doesn't provide a lot of explicit analysis or opinion, you are able to draw a lot of your own conclusions from that.

This is probably what's caused a lot of other reviewers to conclude this book is soft on China. For the most part, it's not really trying to be this hugely ideologically driven book that's condemning everything the Chinese state is doing. It's just reporting the facts and saying, "Here's how China is acting in this one aspect of its foreign policy, and you can draw your own conclusions from that." I'd point out that it doesn't deny the camps in Xinjiang or anything like that; it's just that this isn't the main focus of the book and I don't think it needs to spend a chapter condemning stuff like that when there was never any pretense that's what the authors were focusing on.

But, you know, this is also why I say that to get the most out of this book, you would need to read this and either a few others or to keep up with current events. It's definitely great for giving you some of the context you need for that, but it's not the complete picture. It's just one piece of that and you have to put the other pieces in yourself.

[Ryan Sylvester · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and underexplored subject matter, so I was really excited to start this one. Unfortunately I was disappointed to find most of the anecdotes / data were from 2011-2014. This book was published in 2022. That 8 year gap might as well be an eternity when it comes to China development. Still had some interesting stories, but I was left wondering how much things have changed since COVID.

[Jibran · Rating 5 out of 5]

A decent book on a largely underdiscussed aspect of China's geopolitical strategy in Central Asia. The anecdotal/travel writing style makes it more engaging. Would be interested to read a future book by the author on how things have developed post Covid-19.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of information yet most of it was quite dated. He was definitely pro-China and played down the human rights abuses and aggressive military actions they’ve been taking in the last few years.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

- China's Central Asia policies are reflection of the country's approaches to stabilize and develop Xinjiang
- the inadvertent empire, got it

[Kevin Lam · Rating 3 out of 5]

一本关于中国在中亚地区对外政策、实际影响力的书，作者实地探访了中亚地区和新疆地区，描述了一些当前的现象和社会现实。不过对于中国到底想要在中亚打成什么样的目标、各项措施具体怎么做怎么关联起来，并没有完全揭露出来，也可能本身中国一带一路这些政策本身就不甚明了。最后，本书作者之一在探访过程中在阿富汗遇难了，这是个悲伤的消息。

[Iván · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesante ensayo sobre la influencia política y comercial de China en Asia Central. Los tanes han pasado de antiguo patio trasero de Rusia a foco de la expansión e inversiones de China. Referencias a la región autónoma china de Xinjiang aparecen a lo largo de todo el libro.