Does the 21st Century Belong to China?: The Munk Debate on China (The Munk Debates)

This debate was conducted in Canada sometime during 2011 as part of The Munk Debates. Since I've already read almost every book by Niall Ferguson (most recently  Civilization: The West and the Rest ) and  On China  by Henry Kissinger, I felt I was rather familiar with their views on China, and so, I was more interested in the views of David Li and Fareed Zakaria.Very quickly I came to realize that this debate is not only about China, but also to a large extent on the fragile situation of the United States, which can determine whether China will dominate the 21st century. As was expected, Ferguson, who argued the pro, put the emphasis on the declining state of the U.S. economy and the growing economic power of the Chinese.David Li (also arguing the pro), took the Chinese official view that says that we in the West are thinking in wrong terms. It's not a question of whether the 21st century will belong to China, because China is not interested in dominating the world. As a society shaped by Confucius, China is mainly interested in solving its domestic problems and is far less interested in intervening in other countries' businesses. In David Li's words, "it's just not in China's DNA". Thus, the entire notion of the debate is flawed in the first place.Kissinger in my opinion was a lot less coherent than the rest of the debaters, mostly arguing that China will gain influence, however, it will not dominate the 21st century. The world will be more multi-polar.Fareed Zakaria had the most convincing arguments, stating the fragile state of the Chinese political system, the growing inequality between the rich and the poor, the lack of freedom of speech, the real estate bubble, and the inefficient growth in China. Therefore, China's growth will be a lot less smooth than most people realize. However, in my opinion, Zakaria downplayed the severity of the U.S. economic situation and how it will affect the military and economic influence of the U.S.To sum up, a lot of interesting insights can be gained from this debate, and it's highly recommended to people who are interested to know what these great thinkers have to say about where China is heading to.

Four profound thinkers discuss Sino-American and global issues in a thoroughly enjoyable manner in this book. The high level of thought is what makes this book so enjoyable.Naturally, Niall Ferguson, Dr. Kissinger and Fareed Zakaria have written other books which plow the same ground. It would behoove the reader to read "On China" by Dr. Kissinger, the "Post American World" by Mr. Zakaria and "Empire" or "Colossus"by Mr. Ferguson to flesh out the points covered in this book - which is too short to fully explore all of the issues discussed.As am aside, I am deeply saddened by the scandal affecting Mr. Zakaria. It does not undermine my deep respect for his intellect.

Good; however, expensive for what you get.

It was an invigorating experience to read the views of four well informed persons with a direct knowledge of the issues and yet very respectful of each other's perspective. The only regret is that it is so short. Highly recommended to anyone with even a modest interest in the subject.

This good is a nice easy read full of great debate by four of the leading minds on international relations. Doesn't matter who's views you are reading, they all know what they are talking about. Great, quick read.