Summary
Tracing the development of Chinese strategic thinking over five distinct periods from the 1980s on, this book covers China’s strategies regarding Russia and Central Asia, Japan, the Korean Peninsula, and Southeast and South Asia. While it pinpoints many mistaken assumptions, it credits China with overall successes and concludes that China stands at a crossroads. Deng Xiaoping’s legacy—a tendency toward patiently biding time in international affairs—may be replaced by a growing assertiveness emboldened by China’s rapid rise.