------ Forwarded Message > From: Sardar <sar...@spiritone.com> > Date: Sat, 27 Jun 2009 18:39:20 -0700 > To: Sardar <recon1968br...@yahoo.com> > Subject: Review: When China Rules the World by Martin Jacques | Books | The > Guardian > > How the west was lost > A sympathetic analysis of China's onward march towards global domination > impresses Michael Rank > > a.. Buzz up! > b.. Digg it > a.. Michael Rank > b.. The Guardian, Saturday 27 June 2009 > c.. Article history > Martin Jacques has written movingly and angrily about the death of his > Indian-Malaysian wife in a Hong Kong hospital, claiming that the tragedy > arose from a deep Chinese prejudice against anyone with a dark skin. So it > comes as quite a surprise to discover that, far from warning of the dangers > of a world likely to be dominated by a racist superpower, the author admires > the Chinese enormously and views China's self-proclaimed "peaceful rise" > with a remarkable degree of equanimity. > > 1.. When China Rules the World > 2.. : The Rise of the Middle Kingdom and the End of the Western World > 3.. by Martin Jacques > 4.. 592pp, > 5.. Allen Lane, > 6.. £30 > 7.. > 1.. Buy When China Rules the World at the Guardian bookshop > Jacques claims that "In an important sense, China does not aspire to run the > world because it already believes itself to be the centre of the world, this > being its natural role and position", and discusses sensitively and in depth > what it means to be the "middle kingdom". He also argues that China is > essentially a "civilisation state" rather than a western-style nation state. > "The term civilisation normally suggests a rather distant and indirect > influence and an inert and passive presence," he notes. "In China's case, > however, it is not only history that lives but civilisation itself: the > notion of a living civilisation provides the primary identity and context by > which the Chinese think of their country and define themselves." > > One of the fundamental features of Chinese politics is the overriding > emphasis placed on the country's unity, Jacques claims. This occasionally > leads to contradictions which he does not entirely resolve, for he also > stresses China's diversity, going so far as to claim that "China's provinces > are far more differentiated than Europe's nation-states, even when eastern > Europe and the Balkans are included". The question of unity and diversity > leads to a stimulating comparison of China and India, a far more > pluralistic - and democratic - nation, and Jacques notes how the enormous > cultural differences between the world's two most populous countries have > resulted in "an underlying lack of understanding and empathy". > > The book is based on a well-informed and subtle analysis of Chinese history > and culture, and as the title implies, Jacques is convinced that it is not a > matter of whether China will dominate the world over the next few decades, > but how. He is careful to avoid over-confidence in his predictions, however, > and notes that "China's present behaviour can only be regarded as a partial > indicator, simply because its power and influence remain limited compared > with what they are likely to be in the future". But he is surely right to > say that American confidence that "the Chinese are inevitably becoming more > like us" is misplaced and is based on a view of globalisation that is > seriously flawed. > > Jacques is likely to raise eyebrows in some quarters by playing down China's > military potential; he sees China's arms buildup as being aimed largely at > blocking any possible Taiwanese moves towards independence rather than at > achieving world domination, and he claims that its own technological level > remains relatively low. In the face of US and EU bans on selling weapons to > Beijing, its only potential foreign supplier is Russia, Jacques says, and > Moscow is hardly eager to see a militarily powerful China. > > But it is China's fast-growing economic power which has the world transfixed > right now, and Jacques is confident that this will grow further. In the long > term he expects China "to operate both within and outside the existing > international system, seeking to transform that system while at the same > time, in effect, sponsoring a new China-centric international system which > will exist alongside the present system and probably slowly begin to usurp > it". > > In perhaps his most provocative remarks, Jacques praises China's communist > leaders for their "remarkable perspicacity ... never allowing themselves to > be distracted by short-term considerations". He appears to defend the > party's failure to move towards democracy, stating that China has devoted > itself to economic growth, having concluded that it cannot afford to be > diverted by what it "rightly deemed to be non-essential ends". > > Jacques observes, as commentators such as Jonathan Fenby have also noted, > how the party has confounded western assumptions that the consumer boom over > the last 20 years, the internet and the flood of Chinese travelling abroad > on business or for pleasure would inevitably result in moves towards > western-style democracy. He is not perturbed by this and is indeed > sympathetic to the "not misplaced view that any move towards democracy is > likely to embroil the country in considerable chaos and turmoil". > > It is on race, not unexpectedly, that Jacques is most critical of China. He > says "racialised ways of thought ... have been on the rise in both popular > culture and official circles", and he expects this to continue, with China's > "sense of superiority resting on a combination of cultural and racial > hubris". > > Some flaws are inevitable in such a lengthy and wide-ranging book. Jacques's > discussion of Japanese culture is cliché-laden (the Japanese are > "exquisitely polite", "You will never seen any litter anywhere" and the > country is virtually crime-free) and it is surprising that his discussion of > China's historical scientific and technological achievements makes no > mention of Joseph Needham's towering contributions to the field. There are > also occasional factual mistakes: Japan annexed north-east, not north-west > China in 1931, and Shanghainese is not a dialect of Mandarin. In addition, > the author occasionally cites dubious statistics: for example, I find it > impossible to believe that 100 million Chinese tourists will visit Africa > annually in the near future. > > Despite such foibles, this is an extremely impressive book, full of bold but > credible predictions. Only time will tell how Jacques's prophecies pan out, > but I suspect his book will long be remembered for its foresight and > insight. > > . Michael Rank is a former Reuters correspondent in China > > a.. Printable version > b.. Send to a friend > c.. Share > d.. Clip > e.. Contact us > f.. larger | smaller > Email > Close > Recipient's email address > Your first name > Your surname > Add a note (optional) > > > > Your IP address will be logged > > Share > Close > a.. Digg > b.. reddit > c.. Google Bookmarks > d.. Twitter > e.. del.icio.us > f.. StumbleUpon > g.. Newsvine > h.. livejournal > i.. Facebook > j.. Mixx it! > Contact us > Close > a.. Contact the Books editor > books.editor@ > guardianunlimited.co.uk > a.. Report errors or inaccuracies: rea...@guardian.co.uk > b.. Letters for publication should be sent to: lett...@guardian.co.uk > a.. If you need help using the site: userh...@guardian.co.uk > b.. Call the main Guardian and Observer switchboard: > +44 (0)20 3353 2000 > c.. > a.. Advertising guide > b.. License/buy our content > Books > a.. History > Culture > World news > a.. China > More reviews > Related > > 21 Feb 2009 > Review: Watching the Door: Cheating Death in 1970s Belfast by Kevin Myers > > 20 Dec 2008 > Review: The China Lover by Ian Buruma > > 2 Sep 2006 > Review: The High Road to China by Kate Teltscher > > 15 Oct 2005 > Naval history: Oct 15 > > a.. Printable version > b.. Send to a > http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2009/jun/27/china-rules-world-martin-jacques
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