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book description China is hot. The world sees a glorious future for this country, roughly five times more populous than the United States. At some point in the next two decades, the economy of the People’s Republic will be the largest in the world. If this century belongs to any nation, it is China. At least that is the consensus opinion. Peer beneath the veneer of modernization, however, the symptoms of trouble come into view. Never has China been so corrupt, its environment so degraded, its liabilities so large. Nonetheless, its leaders are once again invoking Marx and Mao to hang on to power, and so it is becoming evident that the Communist Party has taken the country about as far as it can go within the confines of the existing system. As the country grows more prosperous, it becomes even more unstable. The critical issue is time, and it’s running out. Coming Collapse argues that the Communist Party will not be running China by the end of this decade. * * * Gordon Chang takes us on a vividly observed voyage behind the scenes of
China's so-called economic miracle, where it turns out that institutions are
shaky, relationships corrupt, and success precarious. Chinese society
is
seething with unrest, and the ruling party is split. Chang has lived and done
business in China for years. He is not afraid of making bold judgments. When he
warns that China's two centuries of troubles are still not over, we had better
take notice. co-editor, The Tiananmen Papers A sobering look at how the unique Chinese experiment of market reforms under
one-party dictatorship could go wrong. The author has combined first-hand
experience with painstaking research. The often gloomy picture of the violent
clashes between the forces of change and those of reaction is relieved by lively
anecdotes and witty storytelling. A tour de force not to be missed. Damning data and persuasive arguments that should set some Communist knees a-knocking. Kirkus
A compelling account of the rot in China's institutions and the forces at work to end the Communist Party's monopoly on power. James A. Dorn, Cato Institute, Washington D.C.,
© 2005 Gordon G. Chang |