It has become a fresh cliché to talk of Sino-U.S. relations in terms of Cold War II. And like all clichés, the imperfections of the analogy (principally the systemic differences between the USSR and the PRC, which is part of the world economy, not apart from it) are built upon a foundation of truth. Along with this new great power competition — and “ten-foot-tall syndrome” accompanying U.S. fears of China — have come a glut of books that address the rivalry head on, often with accompanying advice for how the U.S. can achieve victory. Some of those books follow a tired model and offer little new. But others, such as our top pick below, bring a fresh outlook to a power struggle that is partly reminiscent of the Soviet era yet unique in its modern challenges. And in an era when war is waged in terms of information more than direct attacks, having the right books on your shelf is a powerful protective arsenal.
The One to Read
Stronger: Adapting America’s China Strategy in an Age of Competitive Interdependence by Ryan Hass
During a wave of extreme, often aggressively right-wing, books about China policy, Ryan Hass has given us a rare thing: sensible perspective. With U.S.-China relations at their “greatest inflection point” since 1979, he reminds us that this need not lead to conflict if we instead make it about competition. From the first two chapters, separating out America’s strengths and China’s ambitions, the book takes a level-headed look at the scale of the rivalry, and how America still holds a stronger hand — before honing in on specific battlegrounds, from technology to trade, as well as common challenges such as pandemic prevention and climate crisis. Throughout, Hass takes his new coinage of “competitive interdependence” as a framework for mitigating conflict risk, without both sides sabotaging necessary areas of cooperation and shooting their own economy in the foot. There is much detail and specific suggestion, but in the end his abiding standpoint is good advice for any rivalry, whether national or personal: focus on improving yourself.
March 9, 2021 | Yale University Press. $27.50. | Buy.
The Shortlist
Chaos Under Heaven: Trump, Xi, and the Battle for the Twenty-First Century by Josh Rogin
While U.S.-China relations were deteriorating for years — and will continue to do so during Joe Biden’s presidency — it is easy to forget just how much of a catalyst Donald Trump was in starting the new ‘cold war.’ This account by Washington Post columnist Josh Rogin shows blow-for-blow how the relationship turned sour, from Trump’s election victory (and congratulatory call with Tsai Ing-wen) right through the early sallies of the trade war and first outbreak of the coronavirus. Grippingly written from the perspectives of White House insiders such as Jared Kushner, Steve Bannon and Mike Flynn (based in part on interview access), it’s a compelling read from start to finish.
March 9, 2021 | Houghton Mifflin. $30. | Buy.
The Great Decoupling: China, America and the Struggle for Technological Supremacy by Nigel Inkster
“Decoupling” was a buzz word that, while rather irritating in its euphemistic quality, captured something of the intricate and messy process as China and the U.S. sought to unlock their supply chains and economies from each other — a process that has accelerated as a result of Covid and recent Chinese policy direction. As this clear and informative book shows, the two major powers are finding it imperative to outcompete each other in technology, especially in cyber and future tech capabilities, but also more difficult than was anticipated to extricate themselves from the other without facing economic consequences.
March 1, 2021 | Hurst. $29.95. | Buy.
Challenging China: Smart Strategies for Dealing with China in the Xi Jinping Era by Sam Kaplan
While not as gripping in style or original in content, trade and business specialist Sam Kaplan’s wide-lens look at the reality today has some valuable perspectives from the ground level of forming business relationships between the U.S. and China. Though more general contexts of China’s authoritarian turn and Xi Jinping’s rise to power can be skipped, the book is good on how U.S. trade policy has affected corporate and trade relations, including impacts of Trump’s withdrawal from the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the new China-U.S. trade agreement of January 2020. A business focus on not ignoring human rights atrocities is also welcome.
April 20, 2021 | Tuttle Publishing. $19.99. | Buy.
The China Alternative: Changing Regional Order in the Pacific Islands Edited by Graeme Smith and Terence Wesley-Smith
Going further down the longtail of China books (no dragon metaphors here), this new academic collection is of more specialist interest, but speaks to a critical element of China’s growing international clout — its influence in the Pacific — and how that affects its competition with the U.S. and other Western allies (notably Australia). With chapters from scholars based in Australia, New Zealand, the Solomon Islands, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and elsewhere, it provides a sage analysis of how Beijing’s model of engagement and aid in the Pacific ties into a broader diplomatic strategy, and how these island nations are caught in the middle.
March 1, 2021 | ANU Press. $70 (Print), Free (PDF). | Buy.
My Old Home: A Novel of Exile by Orville Schell
In the midst of a thicket of China politics books — of policy and prognostication, flag waving and stock image covers — it is a delight to be able to recommend a novel. Orville Schell, whose essays also appear in The Wire China, is known for his reporting on China in the 1970s, when he first visited the People’s Republic. Those experiences infuse this historical fiction of the Mao and Deng eras, tracing the trials of a Chinese pianist who gets caught up in the upheavals of Mao Zedong’s new China during the 1950s, and whose son in turn becomes embroiled in the Cultural Revolution and the Tiananmen protests, which bookend the narrative.
March 9, 2021 | Pantheon. $29.95. | Buy.
In Case You Missed It
The Beautiful Country and the Middle Kingdom: America and China, 1776 to the Present by John Pomfret
With all the ink spilt on the current state of Sino-U.S. relations, now is the perfect moment to revisit John Pomfret’s study of how the relationship began and evolved over the last two-and-a-half centuries. Right from the revolutionary war, America was sending ships to Canton under the new American flag to trade ginseng for tea. Pomfret shows through subsequent historical episodes just how intertwined the stories of the two nations have been, from Christian missionaries in China to Chinese rail workers in the American West — including a recurring pattern of diplomatic cooperation followed by disenchantment that is playing out again today.
November 29, 2016 | Henry Holt & Co. $40. | Buy.
Alec Ash is the books editor for The Wire. He is the author of Wish Lanterns. His work has also appeared in The Economist, BBC, SupChina, and Foreign Policy. @alecash
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