Overreach: How China Derailed Its Peaceful Rise

China's rise to power was characterized by its reassurance that this rise would be peaceful, but as Susan L. Shirk shows in her new book, something changed. China went from fragile superpower to global heavyweight, threatening Taiwan, tightening its grip on Hong Kong, and openly challenging the United States for preeminence not just economically and technologically but militarily. Shirk argues that the shift toward confrontation began in the mid-2000s under Hu Jintao, who lost restraint andabetted aggression toward the outside world and unchecked domestic social control. Xi Jinping took power in 2012 and has accumulated greater power than any leader since Mao, leading to an even greater global backlash and stoking jingoism within China. To counter this, Shirk argues that the rest of the world, and the United States in particular, can make is to overreact and understand the domestic roots of China's actions to avoid the mistakes that could lead to war.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 18 October 2022
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

For decades, China's rise to power was characterized by its reassurance that this rise would be peaceful. Then, as Susan L. Shirk shows in this sobering, clear-eyed account of China today, something changed. For three decades after Mao's death in 1976, China's leaders adopted a restrained approach to foreign policy. They determined that any threat to their power, and that of the Chinese Communist Party, came not from abroad but from within—a conclusion cemented by the 1989 Tiananmen crisis. To facilitate the country's inexorable economic ascendance, and to prevent a backlash, they reassured the outside world of China's peaceful intentions. Then, as Susan Shirk shows in this illuminating, disturbing, and utterly persuasive new book, something changed. China went from fragile superpower to global heavyweight, threatening Taiwan as well as its neighbors in the South China Sea, tightening its grip on Hong Kong, and openly challenging the United States for preeminence not just economically and technologically but militarily. China began to overreach. Combining her decades of research and experience, Shirk, one of the world's most respected experts on Chinese politics, argues that we are now fully embroiled in a new cold war. To explain what happened, Shirk pries open the black box of China's political system and looks at what derailed its peaceful rise. As she shows, the shift toward confrontation began in the mid-2000s under the mild-mannered Hu Jintao, first among equals in a collective leadership. As China's economy boomed, especially after the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, Hu and the other leaders lost restraint,abetting aggression toward the outside world and unchecked domestic social control. When Xi Jinping took power in 2012, he capitalized on widespread official corruption and popular discontent to consolidate his power and crack down on dissent. Under his leadership, China has become increasingly authoritarian, with a vast surveillance state and a military that is rapidly modernizing. Shirk argues that we are now facing a new era of geopolitical conflict, with China as the dominant power. She warns that we must take steps to confront China's aggression and promote a more peaceful and stable world order. This is a timely and important book that sheds light on the complex and rapidly changing relationship between China and the rest of the world. It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the future of global politics and the challenges we face in the 21st century.

For decades, China's rise to power was characterized by its reassurance that this rise would be peaceful.

Then, as Susan L. Shirk shows in this sobering, clear-eyed account of China today, something changed.

For three decades after Mao's death in 1976, China's leaders adopted a restrained approach to foreign policy.

They determined that any threat to their power, and that of the Chinese Communist Party, came not from abroad but from within—a conclusion cemented by the 1989 Tiananmen crisis.

To facilitate the country's inexorable economic ascendance, and to prevent a backlash, they reassured the outside world of China's peaceful intentions.

Then, as Susan Shirk shows in this illuminating, disturbing, and utterly persuasive new book, something changed.

China went from fragile superpower to global heavyweight, threatening Taiwan as well as its neighbors in the South China Sea, tightening its grip on Hong Kong, and openly challenging the United States for preeminence not just economically and technologically but militarily.

China began to overreach.

Combining her decades of research and experience, Shirk, one of the world's most respected experts on Chinese politics, argues that we are now fully embroiled in a new cold war.

To explain what happened, Shirk pries open the black box of China's political system and looks at what derailed its peaceful rise.

As she shows, the shift toward confrontation began in the mid-2000s under the mild-mannered Hu Jintao, first among equals in a collective leadership.

As China's economy boomed, especially after the Global Financial Crisis of 2008, Hu and the other leaders lost restraint,abetting aggression toward the outside world and unchecked domestic social control.

When Xi Jinping took power in 2012, he capitalized on widespread official corruption and popular discontent to consolidate his power and crack down on dissent.

Under his leadership, China has become increasingly authoritarian, with a vast surveillance state and a military that is rapidly modernizing.

Shirk argues that we are now facing a new era of geopolitical conflict, with China as the dominant power.

She warns that we must take steps to confront China's aggression and promote a more peaceful and stable world order.

This is a timely and important book that sheds light on the complex and rapidly changing relationship between China and the rest of the world.

It is a must-read for anyone interested in understanding the future of global politics and the challenges we face in the 21st century.

Weight: 654g
Dimension: 240 x 262 x 37 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780190068516