HOW CHINA'S ASCENDANCE AS AN ECONOMIC SUPERPOWER WILL ALTER THE CULTURAL, POLITICAL, SOCIAL, AND ETHNIC BALANCE OF GLOBAL POWER IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY, UNSEATING THE WEST AND IN THE PROCESS CREATING A WHOLE NEW WORLD According to even the most conservative estimates, China will overtake the United States as the world's largest economy by 2027 and will ascend to the position of world economic leader by 2050. But the full repercussions of China's ascendancy-for itself and the rest of the globe-have been surprisingly little explained or understood. In this far-reaching and original investigation, Martin Jacques offers provocative answers to some of the most pressing questions about China's growing place on the world stage. Martin Jacques reveals, by elaborating on three historical truths, how China will seek to shape the world in its own image. The Chinese have a rich and long history as a civilization-state. Under the tributary system, outlying states paid tribute to the Middle Kingdom. Ninety-four percent of the population still believes they are one race-"Han Chinese." The strong sense of superiority rooted in China's history promises to resurface in twenty-first century China and in the process strengthen and further unify the country. A culturally self-confident Asian giant with a billion-plus population, China will likely resist globalization as we know it. This exceptionalism will have powerful ramifications for the rest of the world and the United States in particular. As China is already emerging as the new center of the East Asian economy, the mantle of economic and, therefore, cultural relevance will in our lifetimes begin to pass from Manhattan and Paris to cities like Beijing and Shanghai. It is the American relationship with and attitude toward China, Jacques argues, that will determine whether the twenty-first century will be relatively peaceful or fraught with tension, instability, and danger. When China Rules the World is the first book to fully conceive of and explain the upheaval that China's ascendance will cause and the realigned global power structure it will create.
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"Can't quite figure out if this book is alarmist or spot on. But it is most definitely food for thought. I highly recommend it. "
— Bill (4 out of 5 stars)
“[An] exhaustive, incisive exploration of possibilities that many people have barely begun to contemplate about a future dominated by China…A work of considerable erudition, with provocative and often counterintuitive speculations about one of the most important questions facing the world today.”
— New York Times Book Review“Accessible, inviting…A compelling and thought-provoking analysis of global trends…Infused with a passion.”
— Washington Post“Argued clearly and logically…A useful corrective to those who assume that emerging superpowers, principal among them China, will re-create themselves in America’s image…revealing.”
— Financial Times“A convincing, political cultural analysis…As comprehensive as it is compelling, this brilliant book is crucial reading for anyone interested in understanding where we are and where we are going.”
— Publishers Weekly (starred review)“A clear-eyed look at how China’s recent modernization will leapfrog Western ‘superiority’…Jacques walks the reader through the early establishment of an authoritative, rigidly hierarchical system in China, from emperor to warlord to Mao, encompassing an emphasis on education, family structure, a central bureaucracy and maintaining harmony.”
— Kirkus Reviews" To be followed up by: When Pigs Fly: The End of Logic and Reason and the Rise of Far-Fetched, Fantastical Notions. "
— Troy, 3/2/2011" Really enjoyed this discussion of Chinese vs. Western culture. Great insights. "
— Julie, 11/22/2010" too long for what he has to say - I read half and got tired of the repetition - the last chapter says it all - the 8 elements that set China different from the Western development model - interesting but hardly spellbinding. quite believable "
— Jrohde, 8/11/2010" No idea if the ideas inside are worthwhile or not because the writing was so boring I couldn't get through it. "
— Eveline, 11/6/2009
Martin Jacques is the author of the global bestseller When China Rules the World: the End of the Western World and the Birth of a New Global Order. He is a visiting senior research fellow at the London School of Economics, a visiting professor at Tsinghua University, Beijing, and a fellow of the Transatlantic Academy, Washington, DC. Previously, he was the editor of Marxism Today, deputy editor of the Independent, and a columnist for the Sunday Times in London; he has also written for a number of publications worldwide. A well-known public speaker, he has given lectures at many of the world’s top universities and corporations, including Harvard, Cornell, UCLA, USC, Cambridge, Oxford, Bank of America, Shell, BNP Paribas, BBC, and many others. He lives in London with his son.