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. This remarkable transformation
has required, and will continue to demand, massive
quantities of resources. Like every other major power in
modern history, China is looking outward to find them.
In By All Means Necessary, Elizabeth C. Economy and
Michael Levi explore the unrivaled expansion of the
Chinese economy and the global effects of its meteoric
growth. China is now engaged in a far-flung quest,
hunting around the world for fuel, ores, water, and land
for farming, and deploying whatever it needs in the
economic, political, and military spheres to secure the
resources it requires. 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. And just as surely as China's pursuit
of natural resources is changing the world-restructuring
markets, pushing up commodity prices, transforming
resource-rich economies through investment and trade-it
is also changing China itself. As Chinese corporations
increasingly venture abroad, they must navigate various
political regimes, participate in international markets,
and adopt foreign standards and practices, which can
lead to wide-reaching social and political ramifications
at home. Clear, authoritative, and provocative, By All
Means Necessary is a sweeping account of where China's
pursuit of raw materials may take the country in the
coming years and what the consequences will be-not just
for China, but for the whole world. |
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