Should the World Fear China?

Description

For Washington, China is a strategic competitor: the only country with both the will to reshape the world order and, increasingly, the means to do so. For Europe, the People’s Republic is a ‘partner for cooperation, an economic competitor and a systemic rival’. For NATO, it is a ‘decisive enabler’ of Russia’s war against Ukraine. Yet Beijing’s image is far more positive in the Global South, of which the PRC considers itself a part.

Zhou Bo’s essays unpack China’s own view of its role today. The PRC is operating not only in a world becoming less Western, but—more importantly—a West becoming less Western; and the key to its outlook lies in Africa, the Middle East and the Indo-Pacific as much as in Europe and the White House.

Are Moscow and Beijing really so closely aligned? Where are Sino-Indian relations headed? Is China a new Cold War foe for the West? Or will economic ties inevitably bring the two powers closer together?

Reviews

‘China is now shaking the world. What is sorely needed is cold-blooded analysis, which means understanding China’s history and reality. As a retired Senior Colonel in the PLA, Zhou Bo writes as an insider with a deep understanding of the foreign mind, and offers a Chinese perspective shorn of propaganda. An important book for those who are seriously interested in China’s rise and what it means for the world.’ — George Yeo, Singaporean Minister for Foreign Affairs (2004–11)

‘Essential reading for Westerners who want to understand China’s military and strategic aims. Zhou Bo is deeply informed, refreshingly frank and often original and surprising in his analysis. Agree or disagree, this is crucial for anyone who wants to know how a top Chinese thinker sees geopolitics.’ — Rana Mitter, ST Lee Chair in US–Asia Relations, Harvard Kennedy School, and author of China’s Good War: How World War II Is Shaping a New Nationalism

‘Political divisions, rising protectionism, diminished trust, and fears for the future abound. Top among these is the superpower tension between the US and China, ranging from trade war to cold war to hot war, with the EU and the UK facing complex positioning choices. Zhou Bo, an articulate insider, and one of the leading voices of soft Chinese diplomacy in the field of global security and defence policy, presents a timely collection of essays.’ — Pat Cox, President of the European Parliament (2002–4)

‘Zhou Bo offers important insights on topics of major global concern involving China. While we might not always agree with his arguments, it is valuable to have his perspective, and to ponder his advocacy of a China that is confident but humble and loved, rather than feared.’ — Rosemary Foot, Professor Emeritus, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Oxford

Author(s)

Zhou Bo is a senior fellow at Tsinghua University’s Center for International Security and Strategy; Senior Colonel (Retired) in the People’s Liberation Army; and a regular PLA speaker at the Munich Security Conference and the IISS Shangri-La Dialogue. Beyond his education at several Chinese institutions, he has studied at Harvard University and the University of Westminster, and holds an MPhil in International Relations from the University of Cambridge.