Edward Elgar Publishing China in the Global Political Economy: From Developmental to Entrepreneurial (New Horizons in East Asian Politics series)

Is the United States ceding its economic power to China? In this compelling book, Gordon C.K. Cheung uses theoretical exploration as well as empirical studies to scrutinize this key question and China's complex relations with the global economy. Employing innovative concepts, the author demonstrates that China's economic identity is now heavily influenced by the growth in its entrepreneurial spirit. Critically questioning the ebbing authority of the US in the East Asian region, Cheung identifies how China's exercise of soft power not only appeals to East Asian historical tradition, but also has begun to translate into tangible economic benefits. The author evaluates China's future economic competitiveness in the global economy and how its performance will be tested in areas of national interest: the protection of intellectual property rights, financial integration and the role of China's sovereign wealth funds. China's two grand ambitions, the Belt and Road Initiative and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank - both of enormous significance to the future of global economic development - are also discussed. With strong empirical evidence and a fresh perspective on China's development, this book will be of great interest to postgraduate students of economics, international relations, business and globalization, as well as scholars and policy makers interested in China's international influence. Review 'This is a fascinating book that goes well beyond the conventional academic debates and focuses a great deal on China's political-economic development in the past 10-15 years. It's written in a highly accessible manner and filled with very timely information or evidence from the author's original fieldwork and useful secondary sources. I am particularly impressed by the wide-ranging issues covered in this very readable book, from China's massive industrial transformation and domestic entrepreneurship to more recent phenomena such as innovation, financialization, and globalization. It helps us understand far better China's rise in the new global economy than many highly specialized monographs on China's economic transformation.' --Henry Wai-chung Yeung, Global Production Networks Centre, National University of Singapore 'Anyone trying to make sense of China's transformative impact on the global economy needs to read Gordon Cheung's timely and accessible analysis of its rise and growing influence.' --Mark Beeson, The University of Western Australia About the Author Gordon C.K. Cheung, School of Government and International Affairs, Durham University, UK