New York: NYU Press, 2021. ix, 281 pp. (Tables.) US$38.00, paper. ISBN 9781479804092.
Over the past few decades, China has increasingly challenged the global influence of the United States. In China’s Grand Strategy, David B. H. Denoon brings together ten prominent scholars in the field of political science and international relations to examine China’s rapid ascendance on the world stage, as well as future implications for global politics. The contributors address the military, economic, diplomatic, and internal political factors shaping China’s global strategies, in addition to highlighting Beijing’s different objectives worldwide. Ultimately, they explore the promise and perils of China’s rapidly changing political ambitions, from military power to economic dominance, showing how Beijing has made its tremendous mark on the twenty-first century. To identify whether the major policy directions that China has undertaken fit together into a coherent grand strategy, the book is divided into two parts: a functional section that analyzes Chinese policy regarding its national security (chapters 1–3), and a section that examines six regions of the world (chapters 4–9). As the volume’s authors have been selected to represent a wide range of viewpoints, the editor compares these competing views in the concluding chapter.
Chapter 1 explores how new technologies are shaping China’s military strategy. Rather than differentiating whether politics or technology is the more important factor in deliberating the complex problem of dealing with a more powerful China, author Paul Bracken analyzes how each of them impacts the other. The interactions between technology and politics are especially important now due to escalating US-China conflict. The author offers two conclusions: (1) Beijing “faces an altogether greater level of complexity in its security environment” which is changing rapidly; and (2) a key question is “how China will deal with the increased complexity it faces” (36). Bracken argues that China cannot handle this greater complexity in its security policy simply by updating its doctrine, thus entering an era in which doctrine lags behind technology.
Chapter 2 represents China’s economic and technological strategy under Xi Jinping in three areas: major elements, recent readjustment of China’s strategy, and the major challenges ahead. Given their inherent importance, Chinese policy makers see technology and economics as a potentially more effective instrument to advance China’s overall foreign policy interests. To become a state with substantial global influence, Beijing has intertwined its economic, technological, and strategic initiatives. Author He Li concludes that China’s economic success has been achieved through pragmatic policies that combine flexible market reforms with strong state control. However, as China remains a fragile power, without systemic, meaningful reform, “it will be difficult to transform China into a developed country with sustainable development” (62). Chapter 3 addresses more deeply whether Xi’s vision constitutes a coherent diplomatic strategy. Author Robert Sutter finds that China is unlikely to back away from its ambitious diplomatic strategy focused on the China Dream. As the economic, security, and diplomatic challenges facing Chinese ambitions are enormous and growing, it is expected that China will devise a consistent and coherent diplomatic strategy based on more adjustments and ongoing shifts.
The discussion moves to six global regions in chapters 4 through 9. Chapter 4 focuses on China’s grand strategy toward Northeast Asia, including Taiwan, Japan, and the Korean Peninsula. The analysis is based on two basic premises: (1) Xi appears to be moving beyond Deng’s thought to “hide your strength and bide your time” (91), and (2) when looking to China’s Northeast Asian neighbours, Xi “longs for a return to what many Chinese would believe to be the natural order of things” (92). Author Ralph Cossa concludes that as Beijing’s economic, military, and political clout continues to grow, it will attempt to accelerate the trend toward Chinese centrality. Chapter 5 author Ann Marie Murphy delves into China’s grand strategy toward Southeast Asia, “a marked departure from its previous, low-profile strategy of biding time and hiding strength” (121). After discussing how China’s military, economic, and cultural strategy has changed over time, Murphy analyzes the Southeast Asian response. Although Xi has accomplished some of China’s key objectives, particularly in the South China Sea, these gains have led to a negative perception among the region’s leaders that “China is a revisionist actor” (140) and thus led to an unclear future trajectory for China’s grand strategy and the Southeast Asian response. Chapter 6 deals with China’s current South Asian and especially Indian strategy. Author Gulshan Sachdeva observes that with an expanding Chinese economic profile and maritime footprint, India’s area of influence is being seriously challenged. Additionally, China’s expansion into South Asia has further accelerated with the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects as the COVID-19 pandemic is changing regional dynamics significantly.
The discussion moves to China’s role in Central Asia and the Middle East in chapter 7, with author Joshua W. Walker contending that Chinese engagements in the region “are emblematic of a rising power” (188). Consequently, its focus on diplomatic, economic, and technological cooperation will pay significant dividends even as it competes directly with the US. In examining China’s policy toward Russia and Europe, chapter 8 author Andrew Kuchins considers two prisms: (1) the broader expansion of Chinese economic and political power across the Eurasian supercontinent; and (2) its ties with China-US relations. Kuchins predicts that the role of Russia will continue to primarily serve as a source of cultural natural resources and commodities for China, whereas Chinese-European economic integration will continue to deepen subject to the crucial US-European relationship. In chapter 9, Zhiqun Zhu discusses China’s grand strategy toward North America amid growing US-China rivalry. The author emphasizes that inconsistency and lack of consensus in US policy toward China will affect China’s reactive strategy. The main challenge for China is how to “build trust, maintain friendly relations, and promote economic, social, and cultural exchanges,” particularly with the US (228).
In sum, this edited volume provides insights into China’s quest to become a global leader, particularly at a time when the future of both China and the US remain uncertain, facing crises like the COVID-19 pandemic, an ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, and escalating US-China tensions. Although this book cannot predict the future for China, the insights offered can offer a preliminary prediction of China’s global strategies, and what direction they are moving in. Therefore, this book is an engaging and informative resource for a wide range of readers, including students, academics, professionals, and policy makers.
Ping Deng
Cleveland State University, Cleveland