Book Description

Daniel Wagner, a veteran current affairs analyst and Asia expert, has been traveling to China since 1986, has visited the country dozens of times, has worked with some of its largest Chinese financial institutions and state-owned enterprises, and has published scores of articles on China since the 1990s. In this book, he examines why the Chinese government acts as it does on the international stage and the impacts it has had, and will have, on countries around the world in the future.Having been a leading economic and political power for centuries, it is well on its way to once again becoming the world's leading country in the coming decade. This is due in large part to China's amazing transformation from rural economic backwater to global manufacturing powerhouse, but also the Chinese government's unique view of the country's place in the world. From China's perspective, it is merely picking up where it left off in the 19th Century.Seen in Asia as the 800-pound gorilla that can more or less do as it pleases in the economic, political, and military arenas, and elsewhere in the world as a country that must be reckoned with, China plays by its own set of rules. Very few countries are willing to object or stand up to it. The book explores how and why China has approached foreign policy as it has, the impact this has had on countries around the world, and what the rest of the world can expect from China once it becomes the world's largest economy, its strongest political power, and continues to develop its already advanced technological prowess.There is good reason why China is on the precipice of global supremacy-it has used the existing global framework to its own distinct advantage, and yet, it would like to modify that framework to ensure that its comparative advantage continues well into the future. The Chinese government has already redefined some of the rules of the game in areas such as cyber warfare and artificial intelligence, and is in the process of redefining the nature of diplomacy and international relations.Understanding the Chinese government's motivations and actions will be more important than ever going forward. The book is broad in scope and includes chapters on the global economy, Asia and the South China Sea, the US, the Middle East, cyber warfare, and AI. Readers will benefit from Wagner's decades of experience in Asia and his own unique lens from which to analyze and interpret international relations as well as Beijing's likely future impact on the global economic, political, technological, and military landscape. The stakes are high for the Chinese, greater Asia, and the world, as China seeks to create a world crafted in its own image.