The Great Wall and the Empty Fortress: China's Search for Security [Hardcover]

Andrew J. Nathan (Author), Robert S. Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

In June 1997 Britain's imperial presence in the Far East will come to an end when Hong Kong reverts to China. China's relations with the West, already strained by differences over human rights, trade policy and arms control issues, will be put to the test. This book examines China's foreign policy, exploring her motives and her search for national security. The authors of this study expect the outcome of this change to depend as much upon the West as on China. They argue that Western leaders are blind to a consistent pattern in China's foreign relations: the pursuit of national interest. Crowded on all sides by powerful rivals and potential foes, China's most pressing security problems are at and within its borders. Nathan and Ross examine China's foreign policy as a search for security with motives similar to those of other states. They assert that to understand what motivates Chinese foreign policy is not to counsel concessions to their demands. Instead, they advise that this understanding should help Western policy makers accommodate China when they should, persuade China when they can, and resist China when they must.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Nathan (political science, Columbia Univ.) and Ross (political science, Boston Coll.) aim here to define China's strategic motives in its foreign policy. They assert that China's foreign relations are based on realist principles and that U.S. misperceptions of Chinese behavior stem from ignorance about China's security concerns. The authors first deal with China's historic relations with specific countries and blocs, including Russia, the United States, and Japan. They then tackle such issues as military power, economics, territorial integrity (vis-a-vis Taiwan and Hong Kong), and China's security and the world order. The chapter on territorial integrity focuses mostly on Taiwan and, as a result, the following chapter on the foreign policy of Taiwan is redundant. Nevertheless, this insightful book provides a concise analysis of Chinese foreign policy. As such, it is recommended for all collections.?Peggy Spitzer Christoff, Oak Park, Ill.
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

There is a tendency in the Western media to depict mainland China as an inscrutable monolith. Political scientists Nathan and Ross, however, put a very different face on China and its leadership. Though at the height of its power and influence, China, the authors argue, sees itself threatened politically, economically, and militarily. It is this fear--and the importance of saving face--that drives Chinese foreign policy, and Nathan and Ross examine how these and related forces have affected China's dealings with nations, from the time of Mao to the present. Particularly enlightening is China's relationship with the former Soviet Union, where the two nations have gone from close allies to antagonistic competitors in under 30 years. The authors' argument that the West fully integrate China into the world community is convincing and pragmatic. A thoughtful examination of what will surely be one of the twenty-first century's great powers. Brian McCombie

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 268 pages
• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc; 1ST edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0393040763
• ISBN-13: 978-0393040760
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,857,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Must read for students of contemporary China, June 15, 2000

By 

M. L. Asselin (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Wall and the Empty Fortress: China's Search for Security (Hardcover)

Andrew J. Nathan and Robert S. Ross's THE GREAT WALL AND THE EMPTY FORTRESS is a clearly and tightly written presentation of Chinese foreign policy and defense issues. It is as reliable in its treatment of aspects of the pre-modern Chinese state and society that impinged on the course of modern Chinese affairs as it is authoritative (and well documented) in its analysis of the contemporary Chinese situation. With books on contemporary Chinese affairs, one must be concerned with material becoming dated, but though this book is some four years old in content, nearly its entirety is nevertheless very relevant. Its treatment of Chinese-Taiwan relations, for instance, is still on the mark. Since the book was written before the restoration of Hong Kong to China, the reader will not be able to glean anything new about that situation here. However that may be, this book remains as "must reading" for any student of contemporary China. The reader will happily discover that the style is eminently readable.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insightful view from the "other" side of the fence, July 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Great Wall and the Empty Fortress: China's Search for Security (Paperback)

I am rather disturbed by the negative review one of the other readers presented. Apparently, the message that Nathan/Ross present in this work is greatly needed... a message that that reader chose to ignore.

This is a book about Chinese motivation. This is not a book seeking to pass historical judgement on the actions of a regime that has evolved over the past five decades. This is not a book seeking to present Western justification for any particular view of where China is going. This is a book about why the Chinese government usually acts, as most of us, in a rational manner within its framework of desires and wishes. Without understanding that particular framework, it's a hopeless fallacy to believe that you can truly explain the actions of the PRC.

Was the PRC's actions in Tibet a matter of territorial integrity? Nathan/Ross doesn't bother trying to advocate any particular view on this, or any other, controversial matter. They DO however suggest that from the perspective of the Chinese, the events in Tibet follow rationally from a consistent foreign policy that values territorial integrity.

This is a crucial book for anyone that wants facts, not more rhetoric.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars reveals the vulnerability of the people's republic of china, July 27, 2001

By 

Jason W. Atwell "Business instructor" (Marion, VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Great Wall and the Empty Fortress: China's Search for Security (Paperback)

Nathan and Ross have constructed an excellent book discussing the vulnerability of China. The book goes into great depth discussing issues such as: Taiwanese independence, nuclear proliferation, the strength of the chinese military, the necessity of U.S. intervention in Asia, the relationships existing between China and Japan or the two Koreas, Tibetan freedom, technological exchange with Pakistan. Ultimately, Nathan and Ross conclude that China is a weak and vulnerable country that is more concerned with maintaining its borders and internal stability than initiated a policy of imperialism. This book is a great edition for any student of Asian Politics. Easy to read.