By All Means Necessary: How China's Resource Quest is Changing the World Reprint Edition, Kindle Edition

by Elizabeth Economy (Author), Michael Levi (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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ISBN-13: 978-0190229221

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In the past thirty years, China has transformed from an impoverished country where peasants comprised the largest portion of the populace to an economic power with an expanding middle class and more megacities than anywhere else on earth. This remarkable transformation has required, and will continue to demand, massive quantities of resources. Like every other major power in modern history, China is looking outward to find them.

In By All Means Necessary, Elizabeth C. Economy and Michael Levi explore the unrivaled expansion of the Chinese economy and the global effects of its meteoric growth. China is now engaged in a far-flung quest, hunting around the world for fuel, ores, water, and land for farming, and deploying whatever it needs in the economic, political, and military spheres to secure the resources it requires. Chinese traders and investors buy commodities, with consequences for economies, people, and the environment around the world. Meanwhile the Chinese military aspires to secure sea lanes, and Chinese diplomats struggle to protect the country's interests abroad. And just as surely as China's pursuit of natural resources is changing the world--restructuring markets, pushing up commodity prices, transforming resource-rich economies through investment and trade--it is also changing China itself. As Chinese corporations increasingly venture abroad, they must navigate various political regimes, participate in international markets, and adopt foreign standards and practices, which can lead to wide-reaching social and political ramifications at home.

Clear, authoritative, and provocative, By All Means Necessary is a sweeping account of where China's pursuit of raw materials may take the country in the coming years and what the consequences will be--not just for China, but for the whole world.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] wide-ranging and richly informed look at how the rapid growth of the world's most-populous country is affecting the global economy... According to the authors, in other words, China's supposedly pending economic takeover of the world's resources is more hype than reality. Ms. Economy and Mr.
Levi... range from commodity to commodity and sector to sector to show that China's economy and culture are being changed at least as much by the world as China is exerting transformative change upon it." --Howard W. French, The Wall Street Journal

"Elizabeth Economy and Michael Levi pen the shut-up-and-read-it book of the moment on Asia." --Tom Keene, Bloomberg Businessweek

"Economy and Levi's findings thread a path between alarmist and complacent views of China's impact on the global economy...The authors present these nuanced views with exemplary clarity and leave the impression that Washington's policies toward Beijing do not require fundamental change." --Foreign
Affairs

"An informed, nuanced and balanced analysis of the many facets of China's eager acquisition of natural gas, ores and other resources, along the way offering much-needed clarity and objectivity beyond the simplicity and hype all too often found in the media and newspaper headlines." --Loh Su Hsing,
Asian Review of Books

"An excellent volume that sheds light on the domestic sources of Chinese firms' and policymakers' strategies toward China's rising demand for natural resources and offers insight into the implications for the country's external behavior. Their book deserves to be read by all with an interest in the
subject." --Llewelyn Hughes, Asia Policy

"A fascinating look at the multiple dimensions of China's resource quest and the repercussions it has for America's economic, security and diplomatic presence in the world." --Paul Nash, Diplomatic Courier

"This is the best analysis to date of the three-way economic and security game among China, other countries, and global market forces. With trenchant policy recommendations, it should be read by all those interested in China's impact on the world." --Dennis Blair, former Director of National
Intelligence and Commander in Chief, Pacific

"By All Means Necessary is a valuable corrective to the hype--both positive and negative-- that typically accompanies accounts of China's global search for natural resources. Economy and Levi combine an understanding of Chinese politics and economic policy with a detailed knowledge of different
global markets, from oil to ore. The result is a myth-busting book that offers insights and advice for policymakers, business leaders, and anyone interested in China and the world." --Anne-Marie Slaughter, President, the New America Foundation

"Will the 21st century be dominated by China in the same way that the last century was dominated by the United States? Economy and Levi have provided a compelling assessment of how supercharged and commodity-intensive growth in China has led to an unprecedented global buying spree for resources as
varied as oil and gas, industrial metals and rare earth minerals, ores and coal, as well as farmland. China's foreign policy and global geopolitics have been influenced in tangible ways, but they argue convincingly that Beijing's motivations are not nefarious and the global system will find ways to
curb feared excesses, even as the Middle Kingdom moves to secure the territorial seas around it and build a significant naval presence." --Edward L. Morse, Head of Global Commodities Research, Citigroup

"If we are to intelligently manage China's resurgence, there are few areas more deserving of our attention than China's voracious global appetite for natural resources. In this well-written and insightful new study the authors vividly limn how China's restless quest for rejuvenation is
simultaneously upsetting the old world order and demanding that the other countries develop new ways of understanding and interacting with it. For anyone wishing to come to terms with this aspect of China's rise, and the policy choices it raises for countries like the US, this is the go-to read."
--Orville Schell, Arthur Ross Director, The Center on US-China Relations, Asia Society

--This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

Elizabeth C. Economy is the C.V. Starr Senior Fellow and Director of Asia Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. An expert on Chinese domestic and foreign policy, her most recent book was The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China's Future.

Michael Levi is the David M. Rubenstein Senior Fellow and Director of the Program on Energy Security and Climate Change at Council on Foreign Relations. An expert on the global politics and economics of energy, resources, and the environment, his most recent book was The Power Surge: Energy,
Opportunity, and the Battle for America's Future.
--This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00H2H0HIY
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press; Reprint edition (January 7, 2014)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 7, 2014
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1724 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages
Lending ‏ : ‎ Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #1,154,016 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
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Elizabeth Economy

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Elizabeth Economy is the C. V. Starr senior fellow and director for Asia studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. She is an expert on Chinese domestic politics and foreign relations, writing on topics ranging from China’s environmental challenges to its role in global governance. She is the award-winning author of "The River Runs Black: The Environmental Challenge to China's Future" (Cornell University Press, 2004; 2nd edition, 2010), and "By All Means Necessary: How China's Resource Quest is Changing the World" (Oxford University Press, 2014), co-authored with Michael Levi. Her most recent book, "The Third Revolution: Xi Jinping and the New Chinese State" (Oxford University Press, 2018), analyzes the contradictory nature of reform under President Xi Jinping. Dr. Economy received her BA from Swarthmore College, her AM from Stanford University, and her PhD from the University of Michigan.

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Alastair Browne

How China Does Business with the World, For Better AND Worse

Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2014

Verified Purchase

Elizabeth Economy and Michael Levi have done their homework, seeing not only China as they do business in the rest of the world, but also on the world's view of China, especially in developing countries with resources.
First, it is easy to see why China needs these resources, and farmland, from other countries. They have a population of 1.3 billion people and beyond the prosperity of what you see in Shanghai and Beijing, the huge majority are still impoverished and needs to move out of their position of extreme poverty. Moving these people up are also good business for both private and state owned companies, as we shall see.
China goes to Africa and South America to mine their resources and buy land to grow food to ship back to China, and to please the inhabitants of these countries, they improve their society, building a modern infrastructure, with roads, bridges, schools, government buildings, even rebuilding villages and towns to provide for the residents. This is clever, China becomes a favored country in that part of the world and also a model country for others to follow, if they do want to remain in good standing. However, China does this only in countries that can give them something in return, such as resources.
But things aren't necessarily what they seem, for there is a downside. When China started all this, they mimicked their business behavior back home, meaning a disregard for the environment, poor working conditions, an elite system where the Chinese would live luxuriously and have high positions while the natives lived only on the essentials, and yes, this has stirred resentment. Some Chinese, especially in Africa and the Middle East, have become victims of terrorists and refused to do business in some places for fear of encountering them.
There are also cases where, in China itself, they would monopolize rivers that flow into neighboring countries, leaving them with very little water to use downstream stirring up resentment. Many Asian countries are weary of China, Mongolia being one of them.
Many countries have started to catch on, and, in spite of what benefits the Chinese have to offer, have turned down offers from China and went with other countries such as Canada and Australia. Others do not want to sell farmland to China, in the case emergencies such as droughts and famines come up, and others will let China mine resources provided that they are the minority shareholder.
All this hype in the press about China has been greatly exaggerated, and they are no more successful than any other country doing international business, and they have had failures and setbacks. There has also been corruption and bribery in buying favors for mineral rights from other countries.
This is not to say that China is failing, far from it; nor is this a book about China's decline, it isn't. What it is saying is that China's honeymoon with developing countries is over, and will have to compete with other countries on a level playing field.
They are doing just that, and they are learning from their mistakes. They are also learning to apply responsibility in business both home and abroad. They have reconsidered use of their rivers for other countries downstream, improved working conditions, becoming more conscious about the environment, and are learning about fair business practices.
The U.S. is also mentioned here, especially military wise. As the U.S. becomes more energy independent, they are not going to withdraw from the Persian Gulf or the sea lanes in Indonesia anytime soon. China does not have the navy to replace them, and will not be in that position anytime soon, so China, as well as the world, needs the U.S. for protection of their sea lanes, whether they like it or not. There is mention, in detail, of the South China Sea and why China wants control of it so much; it has valuable natural resources starting with oil and natural gas.
This book does portray a realistic view of China and its business with the rest of the world. It is not going to dominate economically, but it's not going to decline, either. They have made their mistakes, are learning from them, and are seeking new opportunities; but they do have the rest of the world with which to compete, and they have to compete on a level playing field.

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T.P.

Excellent- but far better suited to specialists in China's rise

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2015

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I bought this book after seeing an ad for it in Foreign Affairs, and also as a continuation of my personal reading on recent geopolitical developments in Asia. I expected a from the ground account, something similar to Africa Safari, but instead found that the book was extremely dry and academic in style and substance. Depending on who you are, that could be a bad thing or a good one. If you're a specialist in the effects of China's rise, or deeply interested in it, you'll find a huge amount of information presented coherently in one volume for a low price. If, like me, you're a layperson, the book contains so many forgettable names of people, places, businesses, and other organizations that the material quickly becomes a grey blur. Around 40% of the book is also footnotes. That is to say, this is an extraordinarily well researched and argued book that is written for a select audience. Before you invest your time and money in this book- ask yourself if you are part of that audience.

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A. Menon

Highly readable analysis of China's growing demand for resources

Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2014

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The demand for natural resources from China has had huge impacts on the global economy. By All Means Necessary discusses how this demand is affecting global trading relationships as well as political and social impacts. It is very readable and gives a quick introduction to aspects of commodity economics and the real politics associated with scarce resource acquisition. It is not focused on resource pricing as much as it is on the way that global relationships are being affected by the growing need for commodities and how domestic business attitudes are being transplanted as acquisitions go global.

By All Means necessary gives a brief background on China and briefly discusses the dynasties who looked abroad for resources. The authors note the priority of being self sufficient for agriculture was due to historical experience with domestic unrest due to famine. The also discuss the modernizing China from the reforms of Deng Xiaoping that catalyzed going from introversion to export led and resource acquisition. The authors detail some of the acquisitions made in the quest for oil and gas and the political spotlight that comes with them. They discuss how developed nations before China all looked to acquire offshore resources when it made sense and China's approach is not unique by historical account. In particular Japan went on a large resource spree in the 70s and 80s. The authors discuss the differences in approach in which some projects are equity while others are long term purchase agreements with subsidized development loans. The authors note that different countries respond differently to China's quest with Mongolia voting with some backlash against foreign ownership. The authors also discuss how after having too much headline exposure from SOE attempted acquisition has led to Chinese SOEs going for minority equity stakes. The authors also spend time on discussing how the resource acquisitions that are made lead to business culture. They discuss how concepts of best business practice are largely absent and the focus on environmental sustainability and labor conditions have often been very low priority. They note that this is the byproduct of business perspective locally not of a race to the bottom of ethics. The authors note that improvement of business practice will go a long way to tempering fears of Chinese acquisitions. The authors discuss patrolling the sea lanes and how the current status quo where the US is the de-facto guarantor of safe shipping lanes is potentially unstable. They also look at arguments around whether China uses politics to improve its domestic economics and remain unconvinced. In particular they look at relationships with Iran and African dictators and conclude that the politics and economics are separately considered.

The authors do a good job of putting China's resource demands in historical context. They also try to be even handed in analyzing the benign or aggressive aspects of resource accumulation when looking at the record. The analysis is not particularly in depth but it gives a good easy to understand overview of what has been happening as a consequence of growing demand for commodities, both hard and soft. They present a readable and intuitive discussion of the soft power aspects of resource accumulation by private business and how at some point hard power considerations will float to the surface. Worthwhile read on an important topic.

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Adrian J. Smith

A detailed and scholarly account of a crucial matter

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 22, 2016

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For a hot topic, and a very far reaching one, Economy does explore all the relevant details of China's resource quest, and it's implications for the world, both economically and geopolitically. Economy explores all the resources China is pursuing, not just the obvious commodity, oil. Economy also provides a history of China's "going out" strategy, which started in the 90s under Jiang Zemin and Zhu Rongji.
Not such a readable book, and difficult to follow at times, but a recommended read for anyone interested in the economics of commodities, or China's involvement in the global economy.

Fokke Obbema

Full of surprises

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 12, 2014

Verified Purchase

Very insightful - factual analysis which annihilates several all too simple assumptions, such as: China's growth will lead to higher prices of commodities in years ahead.

LeoT

Illuminante libro sulla ricerca di risorse della Cina

Reviewed in Italy on September 4, 2018

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Elisabeth Economy e Micheal Levi fanno uno studio appassionato e preciso di come la Cina si sia adoperata nella sua ricerca di risorse per il mondo. Interessantissimo come la politica interna cinese si riflette nell'approccio internazionale delle sue aziende sia in Africa che in Asia centrale.
Un libro bellissimo e anche se molto dettagliato e puntuale riesce ad essere scorrevole ed appassionante, sopratutto se si è interessati a comprendere al meglio come l'approccio cinese e la crescita della Cina differiscano dall'approccio occidentale e la sua evoluzione.

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Shahin Badsha

Four Stars

Reviewed in India on April 19, 2015

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I have started reading it and it quite scares you with the way China is forging ahead.