China and the World

By: David Shambaugh

Narrated by: Eric Jason Martin

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 15 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.

©2020 Oxford University Press (P)2020 Tantor

Highly Recommended !!!

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.

Machine narration stinks

It’s super annoying to listen to a book narrated by machine. Amazon makes enough money that they can afford to pay a human being to read aloud. The book itself is excellent, as are most books by Shambaugh. A balanced and realistic view of China.

Insightful

While I have read most of Dr. Shambaugh's work and find him particularly interesting and singularly astute in East Asian affairs, I don' t always agree with his projections for the future. Of course, this is an edited volume with more than 10 contributors, and so while it does come together to form a single voice, there are more than a few viewpoints. While China is certainly "rising" it shows no interest in taking the lead globally, especially where there may be costs involved. China is focused on its own domestic stability and economic security, and to that end, would like a seat at the table, especially in international organizations that may affect its rise, while keeping intact the political foundation of its rebirth, the Communist Party of China. To wit, China's interest in participating in the global community does not appear to be as altruistic as it tries to project.
It has been argued that China has joined its neighbors in deploying "blue helmet" UN Peacekeeping forces around the world. But a cursory look reveals a correlation between China's peacekeeping efforts and its economic interests. To be sure, China is participating in UN Peacekeeping efforts where it has economic interests. Coincidence? Perhaps not. This is especially so for a nation that repeatedly touts the restraint that sovereign states should exhibit when dealing with the "domestic issues of other sovereign states." This is basically code for "don't interfere in the Taiwan issue, the South China Sea issue, the Tibet issue, the Xinjiang issue" or any other issue that China feels is "domestic." The volume appears to consider quantitative data, but is relatively devoid of the qualitative nuances necessary to really understand China's historical background and future intent. Yes, I understand that one volume can't possible provide the reader with the requisite knowledge to put the information into context, and so it is here that I qualify my recommendation.
I highly recommend this book, but with the following caveat: This volume is definitely for the very advanced China scholar with a more rounded understanding of China's historical background, as well as its political and social structure. A novice might simply walk away with a very distorted view of China and the World.