China and Globalization

This open access book consists of essays written by Kishore Mahbubani to explore the challenges and dilemmas faced by the West and Asia in an increasingly interdependent world village and intensifying geopolitical competition. 

The contents cover four parts: Part One The End of the Era of Western Domination. The major strategic error that the West is now making is to refuse to accept this reality. The West needs to learn how to act strategically in a world where they are no longer the number 1. Part Two The Return of Asia. From the years 1 to 1820, the largest economies in the world were Asian. After 1820 and the rise of the West, however, great Asian civilizations like China and India were dominated and humiliated. The twenty-first century will see the return of Asia to the center of the world stage. Part Three The Peaceful Rise of China. The shift in the balance of power to the East has been most pronounced in the rise of China. While this rise has been peaceful, many in the West have responded with considerable concern over the influence China will have on the world order. Part Four Globalization, Multilateralism and Cooperation. Many of the world’s pressing issues, such as COVID-19 and climate change, are global issues and will require global cooperation to deal with. In short, human beings now live in a global village. States must work with each other, and we need a world order that enables and facilitates cooperation in our global village.

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC-ND license.
Ambassadors are a kind of vehicle and bellwether for globalization. These diplomatic envoys serve as pivotal contact points between nations across a wide range of fields, from economics and culture to health and the environment. The special group of ambassadors in this book – those based in Beijing – are at the forefront of what for many countries is one of their most important bilateral relationships, as well one of the most striking and consequential aspects of global affairs in the 21st century: the rise of China on the world stage.
This book aims to present an overview of China and the world from diverse angles. It brings together essays by ambassadors to China on a range of bilateral and multilateral issues, including trade and investment, regional economic cooperation, sustainable development, technology and innovation, and entrepreneurship. Given their familiarity with China and extensive international experience, the insights of these ambassadors are useful for policymakers, academics, entrepreneurs, students, and anyone trying to make sense of our rapidly changing world.

Globalization is an irresistible force. Given the high stakes at hand – for stability, continued growth, and the future of our planet – it is more important than ever that China gain a deeper understanding of the rest of the world, and that the rest of the world also comes to a clearer understanding of China.

This book focuses on globalization and China’s evolving role in the world, offering unique perspectives on a remarkable period, which saw the global landscape reshaped by China’s continued rise, intensifying great power competition, and a deadly  pandemic.

These insights are useful for academics, policymakers, students, and anyone trying to deepen their understanding of China’s development and role in making globalization work for our multipolar world.

This open access book consists of essays selected from Joseph S. Nye, Jr.’s last three decades of writing and illustrate a variety of perspectives on the nature of power, the role of the United States in the world and US-China relations. Through this collection, it is hoped that readers will gain a better understanding of today’s global environment and find that while great power competition may be inevitable in a world as centers of power shift, cooperating to address transnational challenges can be a positive sum game.

The contents of this book are divided into four main parts. Part One discusses the origins and political progress of the concept of “Soft Power”. Part Two explores soft power in the American experience, its sources and interaction with US foreign policy, as well as its ebb and flow in the age of Obama, Trump and Biden. Part Three examines the rise of and the opportunities and difficulties for Chinese soft power, focusing on China’s investment in soft power and how this demonstrates its commitment to a peaceful rise. However, it also addresses the question of how can China get “smart” on how it uses soft power? Part Four bird-eyeviews power shifts in the 21st century, the US is an established power and China is a rising power, but Thucydidean fears are unnecessary and a Cold War is avoidable. Both countries have to realize that some forms of power must be exercised with others, not over others, the development of soft power need not be a zero-sum game. Ultimately, the U. S.-China relationship is a “cooperative rivalry” where a successful strategy of “smart competition” is necessary and cooperation on transnational challenges like climate change, pandemics, cyberterrorism and nuclear proliferation, will serve to benefit not only China and the US, but the world as a whole.

This is an open access book.

As the world continues to recover from the fear and uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new set of challenges like increased geopolitical tensions and climate change have become increasingly prominent. This open access book, which contains the views of ambassadors to Beijing on topics ranging from bilateral relations to potential cooperation, global development and even more of the most immediate issues, aims to help readers make sense of our changing world and China’s role in it.

 Building on the success of our previous volume China and the World in a Changing Context: Perspectives from Ambassadors to China, the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) has invited 27 ambassadors to examine China’s role in this context of constant flux, focusing specifically on China’s perspective, including its trade and investment ties with other countries, as well as its role in multilateral regional relations and global governance.

 These diplomatic envoys from countries around the world serve as pivotal contact points between nations across a wide range of fields, from economics and culture to health and the environment. Their perspectives, representing both developing and industrialized countries, are both invaluable and illuminating—not only in conveying the views and experiences of their own country, but also for their insights into global affairs and China’s development.

 It is our hope that the views expressed in this volume will inspire even more discussion on the next best step to take in finding solutions to the problems we face, and in particular how China can use its own experience and wisdom to better contribute and engage with the world in finding solutions together. This book provides a wealth of perspective and insight that we hope will benefit not only academics and policy makers, but also the private sector and individuals.