What Does China Think?
Mark Leonard
Fourth Estate: London, 224pp, £8.99
Following on from Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century, Mark Leonard’s second book reveals why China may emerge as a global power to challenge both European and American dominance in international affairs.
Along the way, he provides a fascinating commentary of the thinkers who are shaping political and economic debates within China, ranging from the ‘New Rightists’ to the ‘New Leftists’ to the ‘Neo-Comms’. His analysis points to shifting intellectual currents – similar to followers of politics everywhere – between those who believe China’s economic reforms have not gone far enough (the ‘New Rightists’) and those who support market reforms but want to tackle the inequalities that they are producing (the ‘New Leftists’).
Having just returned from a period spent living and working in Beijing myself, Leonard’s argument that the balance of power may be slowly shifting towards the New Leftist grouping seems overly optimistic but it is his examination of the ‘Neo-Comms’ which rings most true. He challenges the west’s blanket use of the word ‘authoritarian’, highlighting an evolving form of Chinese dictatorship, which includes more open policymaking and experimentation with public consultations, albeit under highly controlled conditions. Leonard also reveals some of the ways in which these ‘Neo-Comms’ are co-opting economic successes to entrench their political power – and challenging conventional wisdom on the relationship between economic and political liberalisation in the process.
In fact, Leonard’s book, aside from asking ‘what does China think?’ focuses on the question of ‘what does China challenge?’ – from the ‘Washington Consensus’ within international organisations, to western-led democracy promotion, he reveals that China, far from being shaped by exogenous influences, looks set to (re)shape the world in the coming decades.
This fast-paced, well-written book is perfect for those new to China and her complexities, revealing China’s different political currents but, more importantly, the extent to which China now offers a ‘formidable alternative’ to American and European models. Those familiar with the changing nature of the Sinosphere may long for more depth in places, but as China’s geopolitical importance goes from strength to strength, this book should be required reading for anyone interested in what this century may hold.