China and Globalization – serie

This open access book brings together leading international scholars and policy-makers to explore the challenges and dilemmas of globalization and governance in an era increasingly defined by economic crises, widespread populism, retreating internationalism, and a looming cold war between the United States and China. It provides the diversity of views on those widely concerned topics such as global governance, climate change, global health, migration, S&T revolution, financial market, and sustainable development. It is a truly unique book. Never before has such an authoritative group of essayists come together to develop deep new thinking about global governance that is relevant to current shared global challenges. They express deep concerns about the historically unprecedented upheavals in the world. They describe the unparalleled turbulence that mankind is facing in the form of multiple crises, any one of which has the potential to bring civilization to its knees. The most obvious of these is the threat posed by climate change. They spell out why these perils pose a stark choice for the human race. They stress how any path that leads to conflict increases the risk of catastrophe. In this context, the common thread is that a consensus must be reached about the future of our world. They have put forward many ideas and potential new policies, reflecting their vision of what this consensus should be and how it is the only way forward for the human race.

This open access book brings together leading international scholars and policy-makers to explore the challenges and dilemmas of globalization and governance in an era increasingly defined by economic crises, widespread populism, retreating internationalism, and a looming cold war between the United States and China. It provides the diversity of views on those widely concerned topics such as global governance, climate change, global health, migration, S&T revolution, financial market, and sustainable development. It is a truly unique book. Never before has such an authoritative group of essayists come together to develop deep new thinking about global governance that is relevant to current shared global challenges. They express deep concerns about the historically unprecedented upheavals in the world. They describe the unparalleled turbulence that mankind is facing in the form of multiple crises, any one of which has the potential to bring civilization to its knees. The most obvious of these is the threat posed by climate change. They spell out why these perils pose a stark choice for the human race. They stress how any path that leads to conflict increases the risk of catastrophe. In this context, the common thread is that a consensus must be reached about the future of our world. They have put forward many ideas and potential new policies, reflecting their vision of what this consensus should be and how it is the only way forward for the human race.

This open access book consists of essays written by Kishore Mahbubani to explore the challenges and dilemmas faced by the West and Asia in an increasingly interdependent world village and intensifying geopolitical competition. The contents cover four parts: Part One The End of the Era of Western Domination. The major strategic error that the West is now making is to refuse to accept this reality. The West needs to learn how to act strategically in a world where they are no longer the number 1. Part Two The Return of Asia. From the years 1 to 1820, the largest economies in the world were Asian. After 1820 and the rise of the West, however, great Asian civilizations like China and India were dominated and humiliated. The twenty-first century will see the return of Asia to the center of the world stage. Part Three The Peaceful Rise of China. The shift in the balance of power to the East has been most pronounced in the rise of China. While this rise has been peaceful, many in the West have responded with considerable concern over the influence China will have on the world order. Part Four Globalization, Multilateralism and Cooperation. Many of the world’s pressing issues, such as COVID-19 and climate change, are global issues and will require global cooperation to deal with. In short, human beings now live in a global village. States must work with each other, and we need a world order that enables and facilitates cooperation in our global village.

This open access book consists of essays written by Kishore Mahbubani to explore the challenges and dilemmas faced by the West and Asia in an increasingly interdependent world village and intensifying geopolitical competition. The contents cover four parts: Part One The End of the Era of Western Domination. The major strategic error that the West is now making is to refuse to accept this reality. The West needs to learn how to act strategically in a world where they are no longer the number 1. Part Two The Return of Asia. From the years 1 to 1820, the largest economies in the world were Asian. After 1820 and the rise of the West, however, great Asian civilizations like China and India were dominated and humiliated. The twenty-first century will see the return of Asia to the center of the world stage. Part Three The Peaceful Rise of China. The shift in the balance of power to the East has been most pronounced in the rise of China. While this rise has been peaceful, many in the West have responded with considerable concern over the influence China will have on the world order. Part Four Globalization, Multilateralism and Cooperation. Many of the world’s pressing issues, such as COVID-19 and climate change, are global issues and will require global cooperation to deal with. In short, human beings now live in a global village. States must work with each other, and we need a world order that enables and facilitates cooperation in our global village.

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC-ND license.Ambassadors are a kind of vehicle and bellwether for globalization. These diplomatic envoys serve as pivotal contact points between nations across a wide range of fields, from economics and culture to health and the environment. The special group of ambassadors in this book – those based in Beijing – are at the forefront of what for many countries is one of their most important bilateral relationships, as well one of the most striking and consequential aspects of global affairs in the 21st century: the rise of China on the world stage.This book aims to present an overview of China and the world from diverse angles. It brings together essays by ambassadors to China on a range of bilateral and multilateral issues, including trade and investment, regional economic cooperation, sustainable development, technology and innovation, and entrepreneurship. Given their familiarity with China and extensive international experience, the insights of these ambassadors are useful for policymakers, academics, entrepreneurs, students, and anyone trying to make sense of our rapidly changing world.

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC-ND license.Ambassadors are a kind of vehicle and bellwether for globalization. These diplomatic envoys serve as pivotal contact points between nations across a wide range of fields, from economics and culture to health and the environment. The special group of ambassadors in this book – those based in Beijing – are at the forefront of what for many countries is one of their most important bilateral relationships, as well one of the most striking and consequential aspects of global affairs in the 21st century: the rise of China on the world stage.This book aims to present an overview of China and the world from diverse angles. It brings together essays by ambassadors to China on a range of bilateral and multilateral issues, including trade and investment, regional economic cooperation, sustainable development, technology and innovation, and entrepreneurship. Given their familiarity with China and extensive international experience, the insights of these ambassadors are useful for policymakers, academics, entrepreneurs, students, and anyone trying to make sense of our rapidly changing world.

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.Multinational corporations (MNCs) have long played a crucial role in the Chinese economy. This role is one that is set to continue in the post-pandemic era as China works to transit to a high-quality growth model that is more sustainable and innovation-driven. With global experience and front-line involvement in some of the most pressing economic, technological, and environmental issues of our day, leading figures in MNCs and chambers of commerce are well placed to share insights that could potentially contribute to policymaking and development strategies so that everyone can “make the most” of China’s future. This collection of essay aims to share these invaluable insights with a wider audience, offering balanced and diverse perspectives from companies and advocacy groups working on a range of issues related to China’s domestic development, international economic cooperation, and China-US competition. These insights are useful not only for the wider business community, but also for academics, policymakers, students, and anyone trying to deepen their understanding of this exciting period of “transition and opportunity,” and make the most of China’s bright future.

This book is open access under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license.Multinational corporations (MNCs) have long played a crucial role in the Chinese economy. This role is one that is set to continue in the post-pandemic era as China works to transit to a high-quality growth model that is more sustainable and innovation-driven. With global experience and front-line involvement in some of the most pressing economic, technological, and environmental issues of our day, leading figures in MNCs and chambers of commerce are well placed to share insights that could potentially contribute to policymaking and development strategies so that everyone can “make the most” of China’s future. This collection of essay aims to share these invaluable insights with a wider audience, offering balanced and diverse perspectives from companies and advocacy groups working on a range of issues related to China’s domestic development, international economic cooperation, and China-US competition. These insights are useful not only for the wider business community, but also for academics, policymakers, students, and anyone trying to deepen their understanding of this exciting period of “transition and opportunity,” and make the most of China’s bright future.

Globalization is an irresistible force. Given the high stakes at hand – for stability, continued growth, and the future of our planet – it is more important than ever that China gain a deeper understanding of the rest of the world, and that the rest of the world also comes to a clearer understanding of China.This book focuses on globalization and China’s evolving role in the world, offering unique perspectives on a remarkable period, which saw the global landscape reshaped by China’s continued rise, intensifying great power competition, and a deadly  pandemic. The essays center on three interconnected themes – China’s remarkable development under the Reform and Opening-up policy, China’s deepening integration into the global economy and rise in a multipolar world, and the quest to reinvigorate global governance and multilateralism to address the pressing global challenges of the 21st century.These insights are useful for academics, policymakers, students, and anyone trying to deepen their understanding of China’s development and role in making globalization work for our multipolar world.

Globalization is an irresistible force. Given the high stakes at hand – for stability, continued growth, and the future of our planet – it is more important than ever that China gain a deeper understanding of the rest of the world, and that the rest of the world also comes to a clearer understanding of China.This book focuses on globalization and China’s evolving role in the world, offering unique perspectives on a remarkable period, which saw the global landscape reshaped by China’s continued rise, intensifying great power competition, and a deadly  pandemic. The essays center on three interconnected themes – China’s remarkable development under the Reform and Opening-up policy, China’s deepening integration into the global economy and rise in a multipolar world, and the quest to reinvigorate global governance and multilateralism to address the pressing global challenges of the 21st century.These insights are useful for academics, policymakers, students, and anyone trying to deepen their understanding of China’s development and role in making globalization work for our multipolar world.

This book offers a comprehensive analysis of China’s economic governance model—its astonishing success in improving the lives of average people and its future challenges. Beginning with a comparative history of the Chinese and US economies from 1979 to 2025, the discussion analyzes the distinct historical phases of China’s transformation. The author stresses that the details of a nation’s financial system determine whether a sustainable fundamental transformation is possible.Challenging conventional theories, the author attributes China’s achievements to its ability to combine a government-planned financial system that promotes capital investment in infrastructure and industry, highly competitive markets in almost all sectors of the economy, and Confucian/socialist social capital. Using these systems, China created a benevolent cycle of high investment, fierce competition, and rapidly rising real wages.Looking into future, the author argues that China is now in the midst of a further transition to a new growth model based on industrial upgrading. The crucial roles of industrial clusters and rural entrepreneurs are highlighted, emphasizing China’s ability to apply new technologies to farming, small businesses, and manufacturing. Stressing the need for internal competition and rising wages to sustain growth, he concludes that China’s unique blend of state facilitation, social capital, strong competition and adaptive reforms offers a viable model for balancing technological progress with broad-based prosperity.

Even before he became a teenager, Harvey Dzodin was fascinated listening to his shortwave radio in Detroit, and was especially captivated by far-off China. This book is the culmination of the decades of interactions and experiences that Dr. Harvey Dzodin, former ABC executive, presidential appointee and avid commentator on everything global, has had with China and its people. His raw, personal, and sometimes impassioned insights into China’s history, its people, culture and even its current rise on the global stage, give a fresh perspective on perhaps the most consequential country of the twenty-first century. Suitable for both the experienced China hand as well as those with only a cursory knowledge of the Middle Kingdom, Harvey encourages the reader to make their own judgements on China and come to their own conclusion. It is his hope that this book will contribute, in some part, to the sharing of knowledge and the furthering of communication, thus helping to overcome barriers to mutual understanding and informed decision making that plague the world today.

This open-access book presents a curated look into Dr. Henry Huiyao Wang’s latest writings concerning the changing world order, a change widely characterized as one of “world disorder”. A quarter of the way into the 21st century, the world is now witnessing the definitive end of the post-Cold War unipolar moment and the beginning of a new multipolar world order.Together, these writings explore the key questions facing the global community: How will the world navigate this structural shift defined not by a single hegemon, but by a complex web of competing power centers? How will major powers such as the US and China coexist in an era defined by both competition and cooperation? What role can China play as a new pole of influence emerges? And how can the international system adapt to reflect shifting economic weight, geopolitical realities, and the aspirations of countries across the global south?Throughout, Dr. Wang offers forward-looking insights for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners. Equally, he highlights the indispensable role of international institutions—especially the revitalization and reform of the United Nations—in shaping a new era of globalization and multilateral systems, as the world moves toward the next global order and a new equilibrium where we must coexist, cooperate and compete at the same time.Providing a panoramic view of today’s fragmented yet interconnected world and presenting insightful policy ideas from a Chinese perspective, this book calls on readers to reflect on how the next global order can serve all nations—large or small, North or South.

This book begins from a simple observation: innovation does not arise only from talent, capital, or competition, but also from the way a civilization understands order—and how it turns that understanding into policy, execution, and measurable results. In China, this chain is continuous. A cosmology built on relation and balance shapes the design of institutions; those institutions create the instruments and incentives that pull new technologies into use; and the results appear not as isolated breakthroughs but as systems that scale.Using China as the central case, the book traces this pattern from the Han Dynasty’s invention of paper to today’s AI systems and the Digital Yuan. The through-line is governance—not as bureaucracy, but as a framework that coordinates actors, aligns purpose, and accelerates diffusion. What matters most are the joints: where philosophy becomes policy, where policy becomes implementation, and where implementation becomes national capability. This is the I⁵ model in practice—ideas, institutions, instruments, infrastructure, impact—each layer shaping and reinforcing the next.Rather than treating China’s approach as an exception or as ideology, the book examines it as a structured method with deep historical roots and clear strategic logic. It shows how China uses institutional rivalry, state-backed demand creation, and long-horizon coordination to shorten development cycles and turn emergent technologies into societal systems—whether in the first imperial bureaucracy or in contemporary fields like artificial intelligence and digital finance.The analysis is both historical and forward-looking. It explains how governance can create demand for technologies that do not yet have markets, why China’s shifts between outward learning and self-reliance follow geopolitical necessity, and what these patterns reveal about the coming contests around AI, the Digital Yuan, and the wider digital economy. The lessons are practical: technological power is built at the interfaces, and those who can shape the joints between ideas and action will set the terms of global competition in the years ahead.

This open access book aims to help readers make sense of our changing world by sharing the views of global thought leaders on the rise of China, from evolving geopolitics, world economy, US-China relations, and EU-China relations, to major global issues like climate change, global governance and the emerging of Global South in policy development.The fifty-one dialogues contained in this book are transcripts from the “CCG Global Dialogues” of online discussions hosted by the CCG President Henry Huiyao Wang in conversation with Global opinion leaders from renowned scholars of international relations, economics, and history, to journalists, policymakers, and business leaders.The speakers featured in this book are Graham Allison, Paige Alexander, Fred Bergsten, Kerry Brown, Neil Bush, Barry Buzan, Kent E. Calder, Ronnie Chan, Ray Dalio, Niall Ferguson, David Firestein, Arancha Gonzalez, Richard Haass, John Hamre, Wolfgang Ischinger, William Kirby, David Lampton, Pascal Lamy, Leslie Maasdorp, Liu Yawei, Kishore Mahbubani, Aaditya Mattoo, Joseph Nye, Lord Jim O'Neill, Douglas Paal, Henry Paulson, Noah Pickus, Stephen Roach, Anthony Saich, Lawrence H. Summers, Susan Thornton, Justin Vaisse, Martin Wolf and Wang Shi.These wide-ranging discussions offer unique insights and perspectives on key trends shaping our world in the 21st century, China’s relations with the world, the global challenges we face and ways in which we can salvage multilateralism and reform global governance, while also touching on new trends and tensions in geopolitics, as well as the evolving issues on China and globalization, the world economic outlook and transnational threats, and how the various actors to play a positive role in promoting peace and prosperity in the post-pandemic era.

This open access book draws on the insights and wisdom of representatives from a wide range of international organizations with a presence in China, leveraging their rich experience in their respective fields as well as their unique understanding of China’s development and its role in the world. In a world of increased tension between governments and a rise in regionalism, globally positioned non-governmental international organizations are key to keeping the lines of communication open. In addition to the United Nations and its affiliate organizations, a host of international organizations are ensuring that the world’s most pressing issues, in areas ranging from economics to education, are being discussed.This new book focuses on the latest trends in four major areas—global governance, trade and economics, science and technology, and culture and exchange—providing the reader with information on the latest developments in these areas with a special focus on China and its relevant contributions. It is hoped that this book will inspire deeper discussion and consideration of the issues we face as a global community and how non-governmental entities can play a stabilizing role in global communication and in exploring solutions to common challenges.

This open access book draws on the insights and wisdom of representatives from a wide range of international organizations with a presence in China, leveraging their rich experience in their respective fields as well as their unique understanding of China’s development and its role in the world. In a world of increased tension between governments and a rise in regionalism, globally positioned non-governmental international organizations are key to keeping the lines of communication open. In addition to the United Nations and its affiliate organizations, a host of international organizations are ensuring that the world’s most pressing issues, in areas ranging from economics to education, are being discussed.This new book focuses on the latest trends in four major areas—global governance, trade and economics, science and technology, and culture and exchange—providing the reader with information on the latest developments in these areas with a special focus on China and its relevant contributions. It is hoped that this book will inspire deeper discussion and consideration of the issues we face as a global community and how non-governmental entities can play a stabilizing role in global communication and in exploring solutions to common challenges.

This book argues that the growing and seemingly unstoppable centralization of capital undermines national democracies, fuels wars, destroys the environment, and, tragically, exacerbates global hunger. In an era of overwhelming confusion, this book seeks to bring clarity by relying on empirical data and the insights of intellectuals from diverse and pluralistic schools of thought. These thinkers, often overlooked by the mainstream, remain unaligned with specific interest groups and offer critical, honest, and deeply human perspectives on the world. The book’s central goal is to place the theme of peace at the forefront of public debate, demonstrating that movements for environmental and social justice are fundamentally part of the same struggle for human survival.This book situates current events within their historical context and a broader historical continuum. It acknowledges that today’s unfolding polycrisis is deeply rooted in global politics over the past half-century, with origins that trace back to early industrialization and colonization—key processes that established the West as a global hegemon. By offering this historical perspective, the book directly challenges dominant public narratives, which often frame contemporary crises as isolated, immediate events disconnected from their historical roots.

This book argues that the growing and seemingly unstoppable centralization of capital undermines national democracies, fuels wars, destroys the environment, and, tragically, exacerbates global hunger. In an era of overwhelming confusion, this book seeks to bring clarity by relying on empirical data and the insights of intellectuals from diverse and pluralistic schools of thought. These thinkers, often overlooked by the mainstream, remain unaligned with specific interest groups and offer critical, honest, and deeply human perspectives on the world. The book’s central goal is to place the theme of peace at the forefront of public debate, demonstrating that movements for environmental and social justice are fundamentally part of the same struggle for human survival.This book situates current events within their historical context and a broader historical continuum. It acknowledges that today’s unfolding polycrisis is deeply rooted in global politics over the past half-century, with origins that trace back to early industrialization and colonization—key processes that established the West as a global hegemon. By offering this historical perspective, the book directly challenges dominant public narratives, which often frame contemporary crises as isolated, immediate events disconnected from their historical roots.

This open access book explores the ‘polycrisis’ currently affecting nearly all nations by exploring key themes such as multilateralism and globalization from the perspective of think tanks from nearly every continent, searching for various solutions to the ills that currently plague the world and a way to create a future in which everyone benefits. As China’s preeminent non-governmental think tank, the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) has invited 30 leading figures from the global think tank community to sift through the myriad layers of multilateralism and global governance and provide a contextual analysis of major themes both from a theoretical and practical perspective, focusing on China in detail, but also examining the world as a whole. Think tanks are essential in analyzing current trends and providing potential solutions that aid governments, international organizations and business in finding solutions that are beneficial to all. As a key source of innovative ideas, they have become even more valuable today as the pace of change accelerates, geopolitical complexity increases and the world has to deal with global crises that no country can address on their own. A common, central theme through all of the 25 essays in this book is the need for a more universal, inclusive and multilateral approach to reforming global governance. It is our hope that the views of the experts from think tanks and other non-governmental organizations in this compilation will provide valuable insights to help heal the gaps in our fragmented world.

This open access book explores the ‘polycrisis’ currently affecting nearly all nations by exploring key themes such as multilateralism and globalization from the perspective of think tanks from nearly every continent, searching for various solutions to the ills that currently plague the world and a way to create a future in which everyone benefits. As China’s preeminent non-governmental think tank, the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) has invited 30 leading figures from the global think tank community to sift through the myriad layers of multilateralism and global governance and provide a contextual analysis of major themes both from a theoretical and practical perspective, focusing on China in detail, but also examining the world as a whole. Think tanks are essential in analyzing current trends and providing potential solutions that aid governments, international organizations and business in finding solutions that are beneficial to all. As a key source of innovative ideas, they have become even more valuable today as the pace of change accelerates, geopolitical complexity increases and the world has to deal with global crises that no country can address on their own. A common, central theme through all of the 25 essays in this book is the need for a more universal, inclusive and multilateral approach to reforming global governance. It is our hope that the views of the experts from think tanks and other non-governmental organizations in this compilation will provide valuable insights to help heal the gaps in our fragmented world.

This open access book consists of essays selected from Joseph S. Nye, Jr.’s last three decades of writing and illustrate a variety of perspectives on the nature of power, the role of the United States in the world and US-China relations. Through this collection, it is hoped that readers will gain a better understanding of today’s global environment and find that while great power competition may be inevitable in a world as centers of power shift, cooperating to address transnational challenges can be a positive sum game.The contents of this book are divided into four main parts. Part One discusses the origins and political progress of the concept of “Soft Power”. Part Two explores soft power in the American experience, its sources and interaction with US foreign policy, as well as its ebb and flow in the age of Obama, Trump and Biden. Part Three examines the rise of and the opportunities and difficulties for Chinese soft power, focusing on China’s investment in soft power andhow this demonstrates its commitment to a peaceful rise. However, it also addresses the question of how can China get “smart” on how it uses soft power. Part Four provides a bird’s-eye view of power shifts in the 21st century and the interactions between the US as an established power and China as a rising power, while also reassuring readers that Thucydidean fears are unnecessary and a Cold War is avoidable. Both countries have to realize that some forms of power must be exercised with others, not over others, the development of soft power need not be a zero-sum game. Ultimately, the US-China relationship is a “cooperative rivalry” where a successful strategy of “smart competition” is necessary and cooperation on transnational challenges like climate change, pandemics, cyberterrorism and nuclear proliferation, will serve to benefit not only China and the US, but the world as a whole.

This open access book consists of essays selected from Joseph S. Nye, Jr.’s last three decades of writing and illustrate a variety of perspectives on the nature of power, the role of the United States in the world and US-China relations. Through this collection, it is hoped that readers will gain a better understanding of today’s global environment and find that while great power competition may be inevitable in a world as centers of power shift, cooperating to address transnational challenges can be a positive sum game.The contents of this book are divided into four main parts. Part One discusses the origins and political progress of the concept of “Soft Power”. Part Two explores soft power in the American experience, its sources and interaction with US foreign policy, as well as its ebb and flow in the age of Obama, Trump and Biden. Part Three examines the rise of and the opportunities and difficulties for Chinese soft power, focusing on China’s investment in soft power andhow this demonstrates its commitment to a peaceful rise. However, it also addresses the question of how can China get “smart” on how it uses soft power. Part Four provides a bird’s-eye view of power shifts in the 21st century and the interactions between the US as an established power and China as a rising power, while also reassuring readers that Thucydidean fears are unnecessary and a Cold War is avoidable. Both countries have to realize that some forms of power must be exercised with others, not over others, the development of soft power need not be a zero-sum game. Ultimately, the US-China relationship is a “cooperative rivalry” where a successful strategy of “smart competition” is necessary and cooperation on transnational challenges like climate change, pandemics, cyberterrorism and nuclear proliferation, will serve to benefit not only China and the US, but the world as a whole.

This is an open access book.As the world continues to recover from the fear and uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic, a new set of challenges like increased geopolitical tensions and climate change have become increasingly prominent. This open access book, which contains the views of ambassadors to Beijing on topics ranging from bilateral relations to potential cooperation, global development and even more of the most immediate issues, aims to help readers make sense of our changing world and China’s role in it.Building on the success of our previous volume China and the World in a Changing Context: Perspectives from Ambassadors to China, the Center for China and Globalization (CCG) has invited 27 ambassadors to examine China’s role in this context of constant flux, focusing specifically on China’s perspective, including its trade and investment ties with other countries, as well as its role in multilateral regional relations and global governance.These diplomatic envoys from countries around the world serve as pivotal contact points between nations across a wide range of fields, from economics and culture to health and the environment. Their perspectives, representing both developing and industrialized countries, are both invaluable and illuminating—not only in conveying the views and experiences of their own country, but also for their insights into global affairs and China’s development.It is our hope that the views expressed in this volume will inspire even more discussion on the next best step to take in finding solutions to the problems we face, and in particular how China can use its own experience and wisdom to better contribute and engage with the world in finding solutions together. This book provides a wealth of perspective and insight that we hope will benefit not only academics and policy makers, but also the private sector and individuals.