Has China Won? Audiobook By Kishore Mahbubani cover art

Has China Won?

The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy

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Has China Won?

By: Kishore Mahbubani
Narrated by: Aaron Abano
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From a former President of the United Nations Security Council, an authoritative look at the US, China, and the defining geopolitical contest of the twenty-first century

“Mahbubani has written an excellent and important book on the biggest question in international affairs: how will the relationship between the US and China evolve?” —Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator, Financial Times

China and America are world powers without serious rivals. They eye each other warily across the Pacific; they communicate poorly; there seems little natural empathy. A massive geopolitical contest has begun.

Has China Won? is the definitive guide to the deep fault lines in the relationship, a clear-eyed assessment of the risk of any confrontation, and a bracingly honest appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of these ambitious and eccentric superpowers. International Relations Politics & Government World China Diplomacy Asia Trades & Tariffs Russia Arms Control War Tariff Imperial Japan Taxation

Critic reviews

Praise for Has China Won?
"Americans should heed Kishore Mahbubani's astringent advice, unwelcome as it may be: Cast away illusions about eternal U.S. primacy and exceptional virtue protected by high walls. Instead, Washington should adopt a long-term international strategy anchored in balance and cooperation; reestablish sound internal leadership and governance; win friends abroad instead of driving allies away; avoid over-commitment; and express moral modesty. Military power is not the most important weapon in the Arsenal of Democracy."—David M. Lampton : Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute, Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University; Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins-SAIS.
"China and the US are locked in a struggle for international primacy, and the result of this contest will shape the world order for generations to come. Kishore captures the complexity of this battle with the measured nuance and clear insight it deserves. Not to be missed."—Ian Bremmer, author of Us vs. Them and president, Eurasia Group
"Kishore Mahbubani's Has China Won? is a serious contribution: reviewing strategic wisdom from Kennan to Kennedy, asking provocative, even heretical questions about China's rise, and counseling a world safe for diversity."—Graham Allison, author of Destined For War: Can America and China escape Thucydides's Trap, is the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard University
Balanced Analysis • Thought-provoking Insights • Excellent Narrator • Informative Perspective • Clear Understanding

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Mahbubani’s book is topical and direct, pulling from his lens as a global citizen who has engaged firsthand with many ASEAN events and key stakeholders. The audio should be required listening for FOX News viewers seeking to move beyond Trump and conservative propaganda to cast China a villain as they flail to shift blame for disastrous rhetoric and horrific economic, trade and military policies since Reagan but accelerated during the calamity of Trump’s first 3 years in office, culminating in the COVID-19 debacle (“hoax”, “China virus”, “China lab-produced” - even as that was proven a lie by American scientists months ago, “China tariffs”, etc).

Readers should also secure the current issue of “The Economist”, clearly impressed by Mahbubani’s work, with their cover story “Is China Winning?”. Will anxiously await further work by the author.

Outstanding, timely, and prescient

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Accusations of anti-U.S. bias made by some are groundless. If anything the author, a high-ranking Singaporean diplomat of Indian ancestry, is more sympathetic to the U.S. than to China. However, he does not shy away from discussing the areas in which the U.S. is vulnerable. One gets the impression he sincerely hopes U.S. policymakers will pay heed to the sound advice he gives. However, I would not bet on it given the jingoism that is characteristic of US society.

Intelligent and Balanced Exposition of the Topic

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I didn't enjoy this book because it cut against my biases as an American. That's not why I'm giving it 3 stars though, I enjoy anything that can lead me to question my biases. That is, if they are correct and defensible.

My understanding of the authors intent is that they wish to see peaceful cooperation between the US and China, I would support this. Unfortunately, the author tried to accomplish this by comparing the two nations and in that endeavor his own biases were laid bare. Throughout the book the author uses false equivalency, perhaps unintentionally. I don't fault them for it, it's almost unavoidable when attempting to comparing an ethno-nationalist civilization with a diverse multi-cultural state. Maybe that was the problem from the start.

Despite my criticism and many vocal disputes while listening to this book, I would still recommend it to a western audience. America is not without its flaws and understanding how the rest of the world critiques those flaws is important in understanding our place in the world. This book would be challenging for most Americans but I would encourage them, to take the challenge. It's good to get that outside perspective.

An external perspective on Sino-American relations

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The US must try to avoid fighting the big superpower war with China; and to accept the inevitability of the rise of China. Rather than aim to outmuscle history, the US better to be like water and avoid a war, a confrontation that the US cannot possibly afford to wage, but also cannot afford to lose.

The US has accepted China at its worst. And it will have to appreciate China when at its best.

A great book by Singapore's Permanent Representative to the UN.

Great Book ! Well Written !

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Despite the sensational title, this is a balanced and nuanced review of the multi-faceted global competition between the USA and China. Most points the author makes are widely held among China-watchers. However, the author does wander off into unsupported speculation sometimes. I've gone to college in China and heard the issues presented from the Chinese perspective so I can say that this book gets 90% of things correct. The most interesting part of the book for me was actually not about China, but was the critique of how America has squandered the immense amount of soft power it gained after winning the cold war.

The reader is horrible! They mispronounce Xi Jin Ping's name! His name is spoken on Western television broadcasts every day ... how could you possibly pronounce it wrong?? if you know any Chinese it's painful to listen to the reader's pronunciation. However, I still enjoyed the book.

Worth reading if you are interested in China

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