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Mark Leonard

What Does China Think? Hardcover – Bargain Price, April 29, 2008

by Mark Leonard (Author)

4.2 50 ratings

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We know everything and nothing about China. We know that China is changing so fast that the maps in Shanghai need to be redrawn every two weeks. We know that China has brought 300 million people from agricultural backwardness into modernity in just thirty years, and that its impact on the global economy is growing at unprecedented speed. We have an image of China as a dictatorship; a nationalist empire that threatens its neighbors and global peace.

But how many people know about the debates raging within China? What do we really know about the kind of society China wants to become? What ideas are motivating its citizens? We can name America's neo-cons and the religious right, but cannot name Chinese writers, thinkers, or journalists—what is the future they dream of for their country, or for the world? Because China's rise— like the fall of Rome or the British Raj—will echo down generations to come, these are the questions we increasingly need to ask. Mark Leonard asks us to forget everything we thought we knew about China and start again. He introduces us to the thinkers who are shaping China's wide open future and opens up a hidden world of intellectual debate that is driving a new Chinese revolution and changing the face of the world.

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176 pages
Language

English
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PublicAffairs
Publication date

April 29, 2008
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0.75 x 5.75 x 8.5 inches
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Commonly characterized as a juggernaut monomaniacally focused on breakneck economic growth, China is actually riven by a lively, far-reaching debate over its future, argues this inquisitive study. Leonard (Why Europe Will Run the 21st Century) divides Chinese intellectuals into a New Right that wants to extend laissez-faire market reforms and an increasingly influential New Left that decries rising inequality, corruption and environmental destruction and wants a strong government to rein in capitalist elites and protect workers. Meanwhile, political reformers push cautiously for local and Communist Party elections against a consensus that associates democracy with chaotic mob rule or national dismemberment. China's foreign policy is split between liberal internationalists and truculent neo-comms who contend that China must be ready to use force against its enemies. The author notes that these ideological divisions resemble those in Western countries, but emphasizes the distinctiveness of Chinese ideas, like the concept of the deliberative dictatorship of a one-party state that stays responsive to popular pressures, or a Walled World where globalization enhances rather than erodes the autonomy of national governments. Leonard's is a lucid, eye-opening account of China's intellectual scene and its growing importance to the world. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"An inquisitive study.... Leonard's is a lucid, eye-opening account of China's intellectual scene and its growing importance to the world." -- Publishers Weekly, March 23, 2008

"Useful reading for students of contemporary politics and international affairs." -- Kirkus, March 1, 2008

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0044KMX16
Publisher ‏ : ‎ PublicAffairs (April 29, 2008)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 176 pages
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.75 x 5.75 x 8.5 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #7,256,093 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8,295 in Globalization & Politics
- #13,050 in Asian Politics
- #13,567 in Chinese History (Books)

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Francis Fung

RELATION OF CHINA DREAM, CHINA REVIVAL, DEMOCRATIC WORLD ORDER AND MULTIPOLAR PEACE AND HARMONY

Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2014

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RELATION OF CHINA DREAM, CHINA REVIVAL, DEMOCRATIC WORLD ORDER AND MULTIPOLAR PEACE AND HARMONY
Dear editor, kindly publish and distribute following important China dream discussion topics:
Definition:
Harmony Renaissance: Revival of harmony philosophy ancient or modern for multipolar national cultural identity and world peace and harmony. For more details please refer to World Harmony Organization and Francis C W Fung publications. UPDATED 20 CHINA
China Dream: Revival of Chinese nation for national dignity and multipolar world peace and harmony. For more details on China dream please refer to summary of President Xi's statements.
1) China dream, harmony renaissance essential for China and global peace and China revival.
2) China dream and harmony renaissance together means Chinese soft power.
3) China must continue harmony renaissance for survival against U S criticism
4) China must be proactive on harmony renaissance not to be contained by U.S. liberal democracy
5) China dream, resolve south China sea dispute by harmony diplomacy
6) ancient Chinese thought, modern Chinese softpower through harmony renaissance
7) Harmony renaissance is the spirit of China dream, dream with in a dream
8) Harmony renaissance vs liberal democracy thought in 21st century.
9) Rally around harmony renaissance to rebuild a Chinese civilization state
10) Can China survive without harmony renaissance under U.S. democracy assault?
11) Survival of the fittest demands China dream to include harmony renaissance.
12) Without harmony renaissance China dream is empty
13) "China is unlikely to become a superpower because it lacked an independent ideology with global clout" according to Margret Thatcher.
14) China will remain a "small country" without harmony renaissance despite economic growth.
15) China dream means 21st century multipolar world, peace and world harmony.
16) Harmony renaissance is the missing ancient Chinese ideology with global clout Margret Thatcher is referring to.
17) Harmony renaissance is the revival of Chinese cultural value ,ancient and modern.
18) The Chinese dream with harmony renaissance can enrich world civilization.
19) Harmony renaissance adds spiritual life and perspective to China dream.
20) Harmony Renaissance will be a preferred balance to U.S. relentless and powerful push of liberal democracy ideology on other countries in a multipolar world.
21) China dreams mean democratic world order and multipolar world peace and harmony.
22) Sun Yet Sen and Nationalist party empowered the elite, Mao Zedong empowered women and the masses, Deng Xiaoping’s reform and open up empowered the economy and rule and order, the final movement in the symphony of Chinese modernization is to empower China’s soul and spirit with China dream and harmony renaissance.
Best of Harmony
Francis C W Fung, Ph.D.
Director General
World Harmony Organization

One person found this helpful

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Jack Kennedy Jr.

The China Change in the Age of Globalization

Reviewed in the United States on March 28, 2009

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In adding to my general knowledge base of modern Chinese politics and economics, I added Mark Leonard's book to my library based purely cover design. Nonetheless, the book is a easy read small gem in the wallop it packs in understanding the NewChina.

The introductory statement "that without understanding China, it would be impossible to understand world politics," (pg. 8) is never more true than today. The author is adept in the comparison of Thomas Friedman's "flat world" of globalization to the China-created philosophy of a "Walled World" (pg. 18). The contrast is both enlightening and insightful.

The zebra-horse allegory (pg. 23) was funny yet so true in the description of the methods used by China to change a state controlled economy to a market economy in the late 20th Century combined with the notion of incremental democracy or consultation with a new informed intellectual technocracy in party and government policy (pg. 67).

The concept of Comprehensive National Power (pg. 83) is most interesting and how the Chinese think-tanks conducted case studies of rising nation state powers (pg. 90). Moreover, the Chinese cultural outreach (pg. 95) especially in African economic affairs is impressive.

Several bona fide points were made by the author: 1] "that it is no longer axiomatic that liberal democracy as the necessary foundation for development," (pg. 96); 2] China has "developed a brand of 'listening diplomacy', contrasting to the multilateralism with American unilateralism," (pg. 97); the goal "is not to cut China off but rather to allow China to engage with the world on its own terms," (pg. 118); and, China "is determined to defend an older idea sovereignty, based around the sovereign rights of states," (pg. 128 and 132).

This reader enjoyed the description of China's participation in multinational organizations of the so-called 'flat world' and advancing state capitialism and the market economy (horses-to-zebras) while making central communist party control more fashionable domestically and internationally.

2 people found this helpful

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M. Hillmann

Authoratative first hand account

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 12, 2010

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Cheap goods made in China at slave labour rates, huge environmentally catastrophic industrial projects, persecution of Tibetan monks - the common impression of China? Original ideas, raging debate on future direction, and patterns of thought and politics changing almost as quickly as the economy over the last 30 years is a less common impression.

Mark Leonard's quest is to meet and talk to a wide range of leading thinkers, politicians and businessmen from all over China. He provides an insight into their views. What comes across is that the Chinese way is certainly not an imitation of any other development path. It is Mark Leonard's uncovering of the original, innovative thought and his lucid account and interpretation of events in China that makes the book so readable.

One Chinese school of thought is that they cannot afford the luxury of democracy. Maybe if I lived in grinding poverty with famine and disease close by I would put a reliable square meal and shelter before free speech. Louisa, my neice, tells me that even now in her part of China heating in homes is forbidden - there is not enough fuel for heating, you must simply put on more clothes.

Developing countries that have chosen democracy without the rule of law, such as Yugoslavia, Angola, Rwanda and the Lebanon, have resulted in chaos, as populist regimes have exploited ethnic tensions to get their hands on power. On the other hand countries like Singapore, Hong Kong have adopted the rule of law without democracy. They have known nothing but success: their economies are growing steadily; they are attracting investment; they have wiped out corruption and developed strong national identities. The breakup of the Soviet Union after Gorbachev's reforms and the subsequent disintegration of the Soviet economy is a heartfelt salutary lesson to the Chinese leadership. Recognising an independent Taiwan is an anathema as it would provide an example other "regions of China" might want to follow.

According to Fang Ning of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences "Democracy in the west is like a fixed - menu restaurant where customers can select the identity of their chef, but have no say in what dishes he chooses to cook for them. Chinese democracy, on the other hand, always involves the same chef - the Communist Party - but the policy dishes which are served up can be chosen "a la carte".

For example Leonard describes the experiments in strengthening the rule of law and consulting the public in Chongqing - a city on the Yangste of 30 million people (bigger than 22 out of the 27 EU states) and growing at 500,000 people per year. There, Li Dianxun, the director of the city government spearheads a process whereby all significant government rulings are subject to popular hearing - in person, on television and on the internet. By 2008, 600 public hearings involving 100,000 citizens had been organised on subjects including compensation to peasants whose land had been requisitioned; on the level of the minimum wage; on the setting of prices for water, electricity, natural gas, roads, education and public health.
The city of Zeguo has taken this consultation process further in deciding how to spend the public works budget. Two hundred and seventy five people, randomly selected from the population, are briefed by the experts on the pros and cons of the building projects. They whittle down the projects and their wish-list is presented to the People's congress which votes the plan through in its entirety.

But it is not just with conventional ideas of power that the Chinese thinkers are concerned. They have studied how the USA has come to symbolise freedom and affluence from the Bill of Rights to Coca Cola, Macdonalds and Hollywood. They are attempting the "China Dream" of three powerful ideas: economic development, political sovereignty and international law.
Economic development was pioneered in the early 1980's with the establishment of the "Special Economic Zone" of Shenzen offering its leaders freedom from government regulation, tax breaks and a licence to pilot new market ideas. In order to access technology and capital they set about attracting investment from abroad. By 1992 half of China's industrial output was generated by private industry from the Special Economic Zones. Since then economic development has accelerated.

Developing countries throughout Asia, the Middle East and Africa are encouraged to follow the Chinese model of pursuing economic reforms first and political reforms later. In 2007 the Zambian leader Levy Mwanawasa announced the establishment of a Special Economic Zone in Chambishi with China injecting $800 million into the country. This will provide China with copper, cobalt, tin, uranium and diamonds. A second economic zone will be in Mauritius, a third in Tanzania with others broached in Nigeria, and Liberia. The appeal to the African leaders is that China not only provides much needed investment, but also an alternative for African countries to the IMF western model of development.

Beijing's ascent has already changed the balance of military and economic power and is now changing the world's ideas about politics, economics and order. For the first time since the end of the Cold War, Europe and America face a formidable alternative: the Chinese model.

A thought provoking book on a subject certain to have dramatic effects on all of us involved in an increasingly globalised economy

2 people found this helpful

Adrian J. Smith

A realistic and decidedly non-naive analysis of China

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2011

Verified Purchase

What does China Think?

While the literary landscape is awash with political analysis on China, this short and highly readable volume addresses the fundamental aspects of China's political thought, in an approach that is neither judgmental, nor excessively optimistic toward China's progress.
Chinese approach toward democracy is essentially a cautionary one, with the political culture viewing it as a potential source of instability. This takes the form of possible unrest in non-Han areas, such as Xinjiang, Tibet, or the Korean regions of the North East, but also as an inhibitor toward economic growth.
The Chinese approach is to substitute the varying competing approaches found in multiparty politics for a one party system wherein various approaches compete under one party. This is compared to choosing a variety of chefs, and thereafter having no say in what they cook (the analogy of the Western model) or having one Chef, but choosing what he cooks you (the Chinese approach).
The book makes note of how participatory elections have begun at village and local levels, and have taken a much broader and dynamic form within the Chongqing Municipality, but approach to the national level will have to come incrementally.
A more thought provoking discussion is the approach to Chinese accumulation of military power. As strategists may be aware, China does not yet possess the key ingredients of superpower strength, namely a blue water navy, missile launching submarines, or aircraft carriers. However, it seeks to compete with American military might on asymmetric grounds, in the form of cyber-warfare, and other covert methods.
The most alarming chapter concerns China's foreign policy, which could be best defined as a pure political realism approach. China's only concern is sovereignty, and it pledges non-interference in the external affairs of others. However, as this book argues, China has sought to aid existing power structures, teaching neighboring Central Asian governments in approaches to suppressing domestic unrest, and has sold surveillance equipment to foreign leaders such as Robert Mugabe. This is not out of any ideological impulses, rather economic interests.
In all, this does not necessarily hold true to the principle of non-interference. Unlike revolutionary powers, such as the USSR, which challenged the status quo of other states, and to a lesser extent, the United States, China is arguably a staunchly non revolutionary power, a status quo vanguard.
The book contains insights into the divergence of thought between the proponents of continued runaway economic growth (the new right) and those who are more concerned about widening inequality and lack of opportunity (the new left).
In all, a very precise, informative, and to the point book recommendable to China novices, or established Sinologists.

One person found this helpful

N, Jens

Gut gelungenes Sachbuch eines Insiders

Reviewed in Germany on November 8, 2008

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Das Buch ist wirklich eine seltene Chance, in die intellektuelle Ebene eines Landes im Aufbruch zu schauen. Mark Leonard gelang es, diesen Einblick auch für Laien spannend und verständlich zu machen.
In dem Buch geht es hauptsächlich um die Erklärung der politischen und wirtschaftlichen aber auch kulturellen Vorgehensweisen der Chinesen. So wird zum Beispiel beschrieben, was 'Yellow River Capitalism', 'Pearl River Capitalism' oder 'Green Cat Devolopment' sind. Diese werden dann zum Beispiel noch mit führenden politischen Denkern, aus allen Flügeln der Chinesischen Politik in Verbindung gebracht. Das spannende dabei ist, dass Marc Leonard viele dieser 'Denker' selbst getroffen hat oder sie sogar in seinem Freundeskreis sind. Die schwer zu merkenden Chinesischen Namen, sind in einem Index und einem je halbseitigem Lebenslauf am Ende des Buches noch einmal vermerkt. Somit fällt es einem bei einem mit Namen um sich werfenden Leonard nicht schwer, dem Buch zu folgen. Eine zusätzliche Karte am Anfang des Buches, indem alle wichtigen Orte eingezeichnet sind, hilft außerdem dem Verständnis beizutragen.
Das erste Viertel des Buches beschäftigt sich noch mit den 'Basics', also den Erklärungen der politischen Strömungen, der Herkunft und der heutigen Situation. Im Folgenden Teil des Buches wird über politische Experimente, wie die 'Mini-Demokratie' in Pingchang berichtet. Viel spannenden Lesestoff gibt es über die wachsenden politischen Strömungen, wie der 'New Left' und der 'New Right'.
Das Buch ist sehr zu empfehlen. Der lange Atem, den Leonard für die politische Vorhergehens weise zeigt, gibt dem Leser ein anderes Gefühl von China, als es in hiesigen Nachrichten und Zeitschriften vermittelt wird. Das Buch beschreibt, die manchmal unverständliche Vorgehensweise Chinas verständlich. Leonard beweist die Existenz von wachsender Opposition zur Ein-Parteien-Regierung und vermittelt den Eindruck eines politisch noch in den Anfängen stehenden Chinas mit für den Leser spannenden Aussichten auf die weitere Entwicklung der Chinesischen Politik und Wirtschaft. Leonard schafft es, einen für die Veränderungen in China zu begeistern. Nicht zuletzt, da die Chinesen in ihren Erläuterungen Dinge wie 'Starbucks', 'Den Spiegel' oder 'Franz Kafka' erwähnen ...
Da das Buch auf Englisch ist, sind Englischkenntnisse von Vorteil '

7 people found this helpful

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J. Taylor

Economic success at what cost?

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2008

Verified Purchase

I found this book in many ways an eye opener. China is portrayed as a bit of a dark horse, acheiving wealth and power as the result of very carefully thought out rationale. The methods China has used to achieve success is possibly the most interesting aspect of this book, which is an examination of Chinese politics and the global consequences.

I applaude the authors balanced arguements, despite his self confessed opinion that Europe will prevail enventually (see his previous book.)I found it a disturbing read, (as a non religious person), to observe the achievements of a non religous state putting human rights and
the environment as an after thought. The European concept of interdependance to regulate selfish interest would appear to be a morally
superior secular arrangement.

The author makes the valid point that a sudden change to democracy would create many problems itself, it is interesting to entertain the idea that autocracy can compete. However, this is unlikely to endear the reader to such a prospect.

The thing that prevented this book from getting five stars was the neglect of the issue of population. After the boom came the single child policy, what does China think about pensions? (Not mentioned) This book, however, remains a sound, if brief introduction to a completely different way of working a society.

22 people found this helpful

Cheryl

An important and beautifully written book on China!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 24, 2008

Verified Purchase

"Since the time when French and British missionaries first travelled to the East, the West has focused on what it wanted from China - and how to convert the Chinese to a Western way of life. People wrongly assumed that as China grew richer, it would also become more like us."

If you want to know what future the Chinese are dreaming of for their country, or the world it is shaping, read this very concise and enjoyable book.

Argueably the most accessible and current work on where China is heading - which is principally dependent upon what China thinks rather than what the West thinks.

First-class book; highly recommended.

To understand China through the lens of business, I also recommend The China Executive.

18 people found this helpful

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