China Rising: Peace, Power, and Order in East Asia
David C. Kang | 2007-10-26 00:00:00 | Columbia University Press | 296 | Economics
Throughout the past three decades East Asia has seen more peace and stability than at any time since the Opium Wars of 1839-1841. During this period China has rapidly emerged as a major regional power, averaging over nine percent economic growth per year since the introduction of its market reforms in 1978. Foreign businesses have flocked to invest in China, and Chinese exports have begun to flood the world. China is modernizing its military, has joined numerous regional and international institutions, and plays an increasingly visible role in international politics. In response to this growth, other states in East Asia have moved to strengthen their military, economic, and diplomatic relations with China. But why have these countries accommodated rather than balanced China's rise?
David C. Kang believes certain preferences and beliefs are responsible for maintaining stability in East Asia. Kang's research shows how East Asian states have grown closer to China, with little evidence that the region is rupturing. Rising powers present opportunities as well as threats, and the economic benefits and military threat China poses for its regional neighbors are both potentially huge; however, East Asian states see substantially more advantage than danger in China's rise, making the region more stable, not less. Furthermore, although East Asian states do not unequivocally welcome China in all areas, they are willing to defer judgment regarding what China wants and what its role in East Asia will become. They believe that a strong China stabilizes East Asia, while a weak China tempts other states to try to control the region.
Many scholars downplay the role of ideas and suggest that a rising China will be a destabilizing force in the region, but Kang's provocative argument reveals the flaws in contemporary views of China and the international relations of East Asia and offers a new understanding of the importance of sound U.S. policy in the region.
Reviews
China may be the United States' "strategic rival," but Kang prefers to examine East Asia's political forces from a non-realist point of view. In other words, Kang argues that the region's countries are accommodating - rather than balancing - China's economic, military, and political rise. This is a refreshing theoretical perspective in a time when realism appears to be the norm.
My only complaint with Kang's book is that it's riddled with grammatical and spelling errors. This is simply unacceptable for an academic publication, and it makes me think that Kang was eager to have his book published as soon as possible.
However, Kang's ideas are presented logically and are expressed well, making "China Rising" an enjoyable read for anyone who's interested in the political economy of East Asia.
Reviews
A must have for anyone doing business in China or one just interested in the world economy.
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