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China and the World
As the world evolves in increasingly unpredictable directions, one of the key determinants of the future global order will surely be the impact of China. No country and no society can escape China's reach-indeed many seek its embrace. China brings benefits to many-but it's also a problematic interlocutor for others. In China and the World, one of the world's leading China specialists David Shambaugh has assembled fifteen leading international authorities on China to create the most comprehensive and up-to-date scholarly assessment of China's foreign relations and roles in international affairs. The volume covers China's contemporary position in all regions of the world, with all major powers, and across multiple arenas of China's international interactions. It also explores the sources of China's grand strategy, how the past shapes the present, and the impact of domestic factors that shape China's external behavior. China and the World is a uniquely focused and well-organized volume that provides many insights into China's calculations and behavior, and identifies a number of challenges China will face in the future.
1 pages, Audio CD
Published March 1, 2021
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About the author
David Shambaugh
44 books66 followersDavid Leigh Shambaugh is an American political scientist, Sinologist and policy advisor. He currently serves as the Gaston Sigur Professor of Asian Studies, Political Science, and International Affairs at George Washington University, where he is also the director of the China Policy Program at GW’s Elliott School of International Affairs. He is also a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution (2024—). He was previously a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Shambaugh served in the Department of State, and on the White House National Security Council staff during the presidency of Jimmy Carter. As an author, Shambaugh has authored 12 and edited 21 books, and over 200 scholarly articles and newspaper op-eds. (Source: Wikipedia)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 24, 2024
Written in 2020, the book is an excellent overview into China’s historical background of modern political rhetoric and strategy. It is divided into sections on global interactions in different domains and, the most interesting, bilateral and regional relationships.
It outlines China’s current position in the world very well, and though the last chapter is dedicated to the future challenges, the question remains open - how will China use its power? I was surprised to learn the number of multilateral coalitions and forums China is active in, and the extent of BRI initiative. Even though I have read that China is becoming more active in Africa and South America - detailed picture of these engagements was not clear. The book served as a guide to comprehend China’s ambition, capability, and a master-plan to achieve it.
And all this being said - China is still hypocritically claiming itself to be a developing country, using this as a reason to manifest unequal treatment in world organisations and selling their agenda of creating a new order, where Western democracies (and especially US) are reduced in their power.
Additionally, the big chunk of the book is looking into love-hate US-China and Russia-China relationships, which is particularly interesting in the current state of the world.
‘China is the only empire that has managed the transition to a nation-state without a significant loss of territory’
‘The “century of humiliation”, which is assumed to have lasted from the first Opium War in 1839 to the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, is the reason, it [Chinese Communist state] claims, the CCP and, eventually, the PRC came into being’
‘China’s manufacturing capacity is over 50 percent larger than that of the United States. Its STEM workforce is at least eight times larger than that of the United States and growing much faster’
‘The underlying assumption is that a big coun- try or major power cannot just pursue its interests, but must also pursue justice’
‘US companies main- tain their headquarters and core research and design functions in the United States, but outsource production to East Asia and final assembly to China. The income earned by these companies does not show up in the trade data at all. The obvious example is Apple, which imports tens of billions of dollars worth of iPhones from China every year, profiting tremendously’
‘culture is more attractive when it is accompanied by money’
‘The Chinese meaning of the adjective “strategic” is that there are no major conflicts in the relationship’
‘Beijing must put forward an attractive political alternative to the Western liberal order—a proposition that, at least to date, it has been unwilling or unable to make’
‘Move away from Deng Xiaoping’s strategy of “keeping a low profile” to the more recent strategy of Xi Jinping of “striving for achievement”’
‘It is widely recognized that China’s domestic politics under Xi Jinping have hardened significantly. China today is more politically repressive than at any time since the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen incident’
‘China seems to have effectively intimidated foreign governments into silence over these issues, lest a critical government be penalized economically by Beijing’
‘Chinese officialdom’s zero tolerance for criticism and inability to apologize for - or even explicitly recognize - mistakes are major weaknesses in its foreign relations’
It outlines China’s current position in the world very well, and though the last chapter is dedicated to the future challenges, the question remains open - how will China use its power? I was surprised to learn the number of multilateral coalitions and forums China is active in, and the extent of BRI initiative. Even though I have read that China is becoming more active in Africa and South America - detailed picture of these engagements was not clear. The book served as a guide to comprehend China’s ambition, capability, and a master-plan to achieve it.
And all this being said - China is still hypocritically claiming itself to be a developing country, using this as a reason to manifest unequal treatment in world organisations and selling their agenda of creating a new order, where Western democracies (and especially US) are reduced in their power.
Additionally, the big chunk of the book is looking into love-hate US-China and Russia-China relationships, which is particularly interesting in the current state of the world.
‘China is the only empire that has managed the transition to a nation-state without a significant loss of territory’
‘The “century of humiliation”, which is assumed to have lasted from the first Opium War in 1839 to the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949, is the reason, it [Chinese Communist state] claims, the CCP and, eventually, the PRC came into being’
‘China’s manufacturing capacity is over 50 percent larger than that of the United States. Its STEM workforce is at least eight times larger than that of the United States and growing much faster’
‘The underlying assumption is that a big coun- try or major power cannot just pursue its interests, but must also pursue justice’
‘US companies main- tain their headquarters and core research and design functions in the United States, but outsource production to East Asia and final assembly to China. The income earned by these companies does not show up in the trade data at all. The obvious example is Apple, which imports tens of billions of dollars worth of iPhones from China every year, profiting tremendously’
‘culture is more attractive when it is accompanied by money’
‘The Chinese meaning of the adjective “strategic” is that there are no major conflicts in the relationship’
‘Beijing must put forward an attractive political alternative to the Western liberal order—a proposition that, at least to date, it has been unwilling or unable to make’
‘Move away from Deng Xiaoping’s strategy of “keeping a low profile” to the more recent strategy of Xi Jinping of “striving for achievement”’
‘It is widely recognized that China’s domestic politics under Xi Jinping have hardened significantly. China today is more politically repressive than at any time since the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen incident’
‘China seems to have effectively intimidated foreign governments into silence over these issues, lest a critical government be penalized economically by Beijing’
‘Chinese officialdom’s zero tolerance for criticism and inability to apologize for - or even explicitly recognize - mistakes are major weaknesses in its foreign relations’
July 14, 2020
The American era is coming to an end, as the Western-oriented world order is being replaced by one increasingly dominated by China in the East.
Although China and its leaders are not sensitive to costs and obstacles, they do have a step-by-step checklist for achieving its global primacy, its Chinese Empire.
China will use its growing influence to reshape the International rules and international institutions to better serve Chinese interests.
China has been trying to cement its bond with Belt & Road Initiative partner countries. Its impact is going to be marginal in furthering China’s goal to create a China-centric international order.
Although China and its leaders are not sensitive to costs and obstacles, they do have a step-by-step checklist for achieving its global primacy, its Chinese Empire.
China will use its growing influence to reshape the International rules and international institutions to better serve Chinese interests.
China has been trying to cement its bond with Belt & Road Initiative partner countries. Its impact is going to be marginal in furthering China’s goal to create a China-centric international order.
November 1, 2020
Shambaugh offers an excellent collection of essays examining China's relations with the world. This book is an excellent baseline of knowledge, as intended, for students or officials interested in China. Some may find this book biased towards an American or a Western perspective of China, but that should serve as a challenge to them to offer up their own collection of thoughts on the issues covered in this book.
November 23, 2020
This book was really dense (probably more suited as a textbook). It does give a thorough overview of how China has changed from 2000 --> 2018ish, and each chapter is written by a different author so it does give many views on topics. Overall very worth reading to get a full picture of how China fits in the world, which is much more complex than media often portrays.
July 1, 2021
I feel like I essentially read a text book cover to cover. I can’t say I was thrilled or that it was a pager turner.
However, I’m certain as a reference document this will be incredibly useful in the future so I’m very glad I read it and have an understanding of where I can go back and remind myself of its issues.
However, I’m certain as a reference document this will be incredibly useful in the future so I’m very glad I read it and have an understanding of where I can go back and remind myself of its issues.
August 30, 2020
Interesting book. Because of its nature - it's a series of essays written by different people - it can be contradictory, both in opinion and theme and it can be repetitive (how many times did I read about the BRI?) but I'm glad I read it.
October 30, 2020
Collection of essays by various China experts. Some repetition and overlap, but a good overview demonstrating some emerging trends. The final chapter had the best takeaways for China watchers, discussing 7 challenges in the coming decades and potential impacts on the region and world.
May 6, 2025
A traditional image in International Relations (IR) is that of a competition between Great Powers, the current round pitting the United States against China. A newer one is that the irresistible rise of China, alongside its neighbors, is a process of historical significance. China and the World details the scope and complexity of China`s global interactions, taking these two themes into account. This interesting book may be helpful for decision-makers and the general public, and I would recommend it even to IR specialists.
China and the World is an Oxford handbook that reunites an all-stars team of area experts. It is useful for anyone interested in these salient issues and offers a very nuanced but still clear picture of events, institutions, and individuals involved. The book is divided into sections dedicated to history, domestic politics, issue areas, and specific relationships. I read it a couple of times since it was published, and I still find it refreshing.
The handbook edited by D. Shambaugh offers a few surprises. It tells the story of China`s rise in the last decades and how much it was influenced by the United States, an influence filtered by an authoritarian regime. Its society is nationalistic and Darwinist in its economic outlook; the army is based on the idea of joint operations, regional wars, and information technology; economic progress is defined in terms of disruption. As the world became more linked with mainland China, its leaders gradually became more ambitious.
Like many Oxford handbooks, China and the World adopts a global perspective. The interactions are never simple. China`s story for the rest of the world is seen with skepticism by its neighbors, Xi Jinping's mixture of internal authoritarianism and external assertiveness stimulated the US`s hostility, especially since Trump`s administration, one which continues today. The rest of the globe reacted in many ways: some opposed this change, others tried to profit, while many tried to avoid getting caught in the middle.
The story told in this collection stopped just when the rivalry between the US and China intensified. China and the World shows the drawbacks of heavy-handed policies, and the risks involved in Great Power competition, and attempts to provide a long-term perspective. More important, the authors try to explain how things ended up the way they did. The main drawback is that it may be considered simplistic by people familiar with the story and that the variety of subjects may overwhelm the reader.
China and the World is an Oxford handbook that reunites an all-stars team of area experts. It is useful for anyone interested in these salient issues and offers a very nuanced but still clear picture of events, institutions, and individuals involved. The book is divided into sections dedicated to history, domestic politics, issue areas, and specific relationships. I read it a couple of times since it was published, and I still find it refreshing.
The handbook edited by D. Shambaugh offers a few surprises. It tells the story of China`s rise in the last decades and how much it was influenced by the United States, an influence filtered by an authoritarian regime. Its society is nationalistic and Darwinist in its economic outlook; the army is based on the idea of joint operations, regional wars, and information technology; economic progress is defined in terms of disruption. As the world became more linked with mainland China, its leaders gradually became more ambitious.
Like many Oxford handbooks, China and the World adopts a global perspective. The interactions are never simple. China`s story for the rest of the world is seen with skepticism by its neighbors, Xi Jinping's mixture of internal authoritarianism and external assertiveness stimulated the US`s hostility, especially since Trump`s administration, one which continues today. The rest of the globe reacted in many ways: some opposed this change, others tried to profit, while many tried to avoid getting caught in the middle.
The story told in this collection stopped just when the rivalry between the US and China intensified. China and the World shows the drawbacks of heavy-handed policies, and the risks involved in Great Power competition, and attempts to provide a long-term perspective. More important, the authors try to explain how things ended up the way they did. The main drawback is that it may be considered simplistic by people familiar with the story and that the variety of subjects may overwhelm the reader.
November 26, 2021
This work is a detailed, comprehensive look at the role of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in the world published at the start of 2020. The essays in this book survey the position of the PRC with respect its international engagements and position in each region of the world. This volume does well in engaging how the historical experience has had such a profound impact on shaping PRC decision-making. The book rightly states how the relationship between the PRC and the rest of the world was changing as each of the contributors was writing their respective chapters, but it is also a useful data point to think how what has unfolding during the COVID-19 pandemic has intensified those dynamics. It is a reminder of the study undertaken by China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, a long-established Chinese research organization affiliated with the Ministry of States Security issued an April 2020 report that found that global anti-China sentiment to be at its highest since 1989 in the aftermath of Tiananmen Square. Although some might find the contributions to be too heavily weighted to an American or Western perspective, this work is a very useful baseline for gaining a sense of the PRC's global role in the early 21st century.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews