Contemporary China

Between Mao and Market

By (author) François Godement Translated by Rhoda Miller

Publication date:

16 July 2015

Length of book:

274 pages

Publisher

Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

ISBN-13: 9781442225381

This overview of Chinese politics, economy, and society by a leading scholar offers a deeply informed assessment of China’s last decade—its debates and political infighting, its rising and assertive international profile, and the forceful initiatives taken by Xi Jinping, who is proving to be China’s strongest leader since Mao and Deng. François Godement moves from the inner workings of the Party elite to the economic policies that have made China the world’s factory while fueling growing inequality. He explains the recent turn of China’s foreign policy to assertiveness, showing its roots in domestic political competition. He illustrates this trend with the case of Sino-Japanese relations, which have fluctuated wildly since the start of the reform era in 1978. Providing rare and vivid insights into the trenches of Chinese politics, the book illuminates dramatic corruption cases, behind-the-scenes decision-making processes, and a political and intellectual establishment torn between political reform and nationalism. It will be of interest not only to academics and students but also to general readers interested in China’s political scene beyond the headlines.

This book was originally published in French as “Que veut la Chine? De Mao au capitalisme” and was translated by Rhoda B. Miller.

Introduction
1 Inside the Chongqing Furnace
2 Rich Country, Poor People
3 Separate Worlds
4 Crossing the River, or the Impossible Political Transition
5 China Inc., the Hybrid Economy
6 Reform without Elections
7 Wukan, or the Possibility of an Election
8 2009—The Turning Point
9 Nationalism: An Alibi for Great Power Realism
10 A Faulty Diagnosis
11 Integration vs. Sovereignty: The Strategy Debate
Conclusion: Xi Jinping Resets China
About the Author

Contemporary China: Between Mao and Market belongs in current events, China affairs and political science collections alike as it provides an overview of modern Chinese society from an international scholar who narrows the focus to the country's last few decades of events. From its changing policies (both internally and externally) to the most recent events affecting its foreign policy and relationships, chapters offer many behind-the-scenes insights into how decisions are made, the state of political and social reforms and sentiments, and what's really happening in modern China. The result is a handbook designed to serve as a discussion point, with Europe's leading China expert providing a hard-hitting assessment of where the nation has been and where it's heading, and why.