In the past thirty
years, China has transformed from an impoverished country where peasants
comprised the largest portion of the populace to an economic power with an expanding
middle class and more megacities than anywhere else on earth. Like every other major power in modern
history, China is looking outward to find the massive quantities of resources
needed to maintain its economic expansion; it is now engaged in a far-flung
quest around the world for fuel, ores, water, and land for farming. Chinese traders and investors buy
commodities, with consequences for economies, people, and the environment
around the world. Meanwhile the Chinese military aspires to secure sea lanes,
and Chinese diplomats struggle to protect the country's interests abroad. In By All Means Necessary: how China's resource quest is changing the world Elizabeth Economy and Michael Levi
explore the unrivaled expansion of the Chinese economy and what has been
required to sustain this meteoric growth.
They cover…
· Is Chinese demand at the root of soaring global resource prices?
· How will China’s state-controlled companies influence the commodities free market?
· What effect does the resource quest have on Chinese foreign policy?
· Does China’s rise as a naval power signal a plan to control global shipping routes?
· Is Chinese demand at the root of soaring global resource prices?
· How will China’s state-controlled companies influence the commodities free market?
· What effect does the resource quest have on Chinese foreign policy?
· Does China’s rise as a naval power signal a plan to control global shipping routes?
About the Authors
Elizabeth
Economy is Senior Fellow and Director of Asia Studies, Council on Foreign
Relations and author of The River Runs Black. Michael Levi is
Senior Fellow and Director, Program on Energy Security and Climate Change,
Council on Foreign Relations and author of The Power Surge.
By All Means Necessary is published by OUP, in hardback and eBook, priced in local currencies.