As the Jenny Clegg states, `China is everywhere', but it is quite startling how little is understood of the ambitions of the great rising power of our time. This book lays out the strategy Beijing has adopted for creating a `new international and political economic order' which challenges Western dominance and gives an equal voice to the developed and developing worlds.
From a Western reader's viewpoint, I found the author's assessment of global political relations; less focused on ideology and the obsessive Cold-War divisions we are used to hearing about but more centred on the North-South divide and the movement against modern imperialism, to be refreshing. Jenny Clegg addresses the troubling problems China must face in its ascent, both domestic and international, but convincingly makes the claim that in overcoming the hurdles ahead, China's dialogue based global strategies can create the basis for a less volatile and fairer world.
In this turbulent era of rapid change, with the power of the United States apparently on the wane, China is seen as the next great power. As such, many would do well to gain a balanced understanding of what this will mean for the shape of the world, and this book would be an excellent place to start.