When China Rule the World - Book Report/Review Example

When China Rule the World For many decades, the world has been under the subjugation of the West. The implication of this domination posed by the west has been such that every thought and idea that has been generated have been determined and controlled by the forces which Western powers represent. On the basis of the domination of the west, there arises a need for a notable and viable power to come to be. This new entity that has come into existence, first and foremost, has the duty to wrestle power from the stronghold of the west. In the light of this, there emerged the Asian Tigers, China and India who have come to bring to realization the dream of many that world power will, someday, be snatched from the West that has held it tight for many years. As far as bringing the needed change is concerned, China has emerged to pose as a challenge to the West, telling them that they will no longer be the only ones that would be dictating the pace in the world and controlling world affairs. It is as a result of the emergence of China as a world power, that Martin Jacques wrote the book, When China Rules the World: the World: the Rise of the Middle Kingdom and the End of the Western World as it identifies that China has the spearhead of change, it is conspicuous that modernity is about to experience that change that is capable of changing the world now and in several years to come. The author, Martin Jacques, gives a place of reckoning to the sovereign China as a nation-state. Even the rise of China is influenced by the west, standing on the shoulder of her distinct history and astonishing size, China will come forth as a country that can never be pushed aside in many ramifications. The thesis of Jacques stands as a virile response to those who rejoiced at the disintegration of the communism in Asia. It is also a very strong reply to those who are of the opinion that for China to continue making progress, she has to employ a lot more of transparency, democracy, establishment of panels of inquiry, proper human rights exercise and freedom of the press. Putting into consideration the success achieved so far by China despite the belief of many that she has not been transparent, it is only normal to believe that many other nations of the world, particularly those in Asia, will adopt the methodology that has brought China immense success. By consequence, if other nations of the world decide to adopt the style of China, it will further pull down Western powers in all their might. As clearly revealed in the book, it is obvious that Jacques does not deny the fact that China cannot grow to become the central determining force in the world by relying only on its exports without importing from other nation of the world. There is therefore the need for China to improve her productivity and capital competence. Above all, China must effectively tackle social disparity and the challenges posed by the low level of the consumption of Chinese products by Chinese people. Most importantly, China must be able to properly fend for the poor in China.  According to Jacques, “It has become a widespread outlook for Westerners to declare that China will eventually conform to the Western paradigm through a process of expected but unavoidable development” (pp 195-196). Jacques is of the opinion that it is nothing unusual that China has to go the same way the West as gone in order to come into prominence. For instance, pertaining to the point that the people should be given a voice in deciding who will rule them, Jacques posits that in almost all developing nations of the world, the nature of the suffrage practiced is not universal (perhaps with the exemption of India). The particular example of Britain is given as a country where it was only of recent that they began to practice a system of voting that availed more people the right to vote. However, the new kind of capitalism that is practiced by China and her swift economic growth are not enough reasons for anyone to say that the country is adopting Western values. The author agrees that China and the West, in terms of culture, are quite different, but he seems to be saying that this is more of a strength than a weakness for China. Jacques affirms that China’s rapid growth of the economy, creation of the class of the petit bourgeoisie and knot with other economies of the world are unlikely to make the system practiced in China close to anything like the Western-style democracy, let alone mentioning the rule of law or press freedom. From what obtain, it is obvious that many of those that constitute he middle class are more inclined to accept the one party state system of administration and the compulsions and limits that the enforce. This appears to be a disclaimer for anyone that would want to solely hinge the emergence of China as a world power to the practice of a system that has some similitude with the west. The predictions of Jacques have a number of corroborations. The most pressing corroboration may be considered to be quick recovery of China from the global financial meltdown that shook the entire world. China emerged from the meltdown stronger than any other nation of the world. The country, at the moment, is the first to be reckoned with in terms of product export as China is now the world’s number one exporter. China is also ranked second as far as car production is concerned. All these and more point to the fact the predictions of Martin Jacques are coming to realization before our very eyes (even before the very eyes of those that may be considered as the country’s enemy). Jacques does not go without acquiring some enemies in his act of trying put forward arguments that are pro-China but anti-West. One of the people on whose feet Jacques seems to have trod are Western scholars and institutions. Some may, nonetheless, express the opinion that these scholars and institutions on which he trod have been irritatingly self-satisfied over the years. Most of them have adopted the friendly approach in treating China, for this, they may pay a very costly price. The price is that China, the country they have been of good disposition to, would eventually come back to ‘usurp’ their valued position as superpowers. It is very important to note that the book would be a very mesmerizing one for anyone who is interested in the knowing about the growth of China. China is not only examined in terms of the growth it had recorded in the past; an advanced look is also taken at the promising future that is assured her. This is particularly interesting in the context that some organizations in the world have predicted that the economy of China will overtake that of the US in less than two decades. This prediction may be hinged on the fact that the economy of China has tremendously been transformed from the insignificant level that it was at some hundred years ago to the significant level it is now. This predictions, of course, must of put into consideration the many factors that have worked in China’s favor so far e.g. the size of the nation and her people. If all these predictions about China ever come to be, they would, in a great measure, negate the saying that was on the lips of many at a time that "Optimists should learn to speak Russian while pessimists should learn to speak Chinese." The success of China would automatically mean that the hegemony constituted by the west will finally be broken. Whatsoever the prediction about the rise of China to world prominence may be, it is vital that one gives Jacques a piece of advice. He (Jacques) and others like him should be careful in jumping into any conclusion about the future of a country like China that is multifarious in many ways. Despite the actuality that all evidence may point to possibility of China emerging the number one world power in less than twenty years, one should not foreclose the possibility of the occurrence of any catastrophe that would hinder the coming to actuality of this dream. Beside according to some predictions, China’s elderly people may constitute more than 30 percent of the population by the year 2050. This prediction was made on the heels of the one-child policy practiced by China. So, by 2050, a large percentage of the people that should constitute the working class would constitute the group of those that are dependent on other for survival. Thus, it may not be out of place to assume that even if China attains the desired and much predicted height in 2020, in the next three decade, they may be unable to maintain their status as the super-power of the world even because at that the communist system of welfare may have nose-dived. Beside many have said that China will be unable to maintain the super power status because the leaders of the country do not show themselves to be people who are capable of tackling oppositions that arise on the home front, let alone the opposition that will arise on the international front (if they ever emerge as the world powers). When China Rules the World: the World: the Rise of the Middle Kingdom and the End of the Western World is a book that has, in many ways, helped in changing the views many had about China. It has also helped to expand the horizon of people about China. Like many other things, places and ideas, people hold certain opinions which may not necessarily be right. The book informs the reader about how the culture China has imbibed over the years has helped and will help her. It is obvious that China places emphasis on the development of her economy. This has expectedly drawn the attention of many critics, who are of the opinion that China has misplaced her priorities. It has also thrown up debates in some quarters about which should take the place of prominence in a state, the economy or the welfare of the people. In response to this poser, many opine that there is a close link between these two as one affects the other. Many who have been to China have said the international image that the country is acquiring is not commensurate with the state of affairs in the country. The rich culture of the Chinese on which Jacques upon seems to base his point have mostly been destroyed in a cultural revolution. At this juncture, the authority of Jacques is called to question because based on what he wrote he wrote in his book, it seems that he is not worthy of being called a China expert. One has many reasons to believe that the sources of the information he provides about china are secondary. What Jacques talks about in the book may be amiss because one is likely to believe that he does not speak for the millions of peasants that live in China who toil day and night in order to make ends meet. In spite of the incomprehensiveness of his representation, Jacques keeps saying “all Chinese” (Jacques 407). In conclusion, whether the prediction of Jacques is viable or not, one has to note that Jacques has made a very bold step to alert the world about the possibility of the emergence of a new world power. The prediction could also be seen as a clarion call on the western powers to arise from their seats of comfort and control, having behind their mind the notion that there are many contenders for position they occupy. It is to make them realize that change is the only constant thing in life. Just as there used to be some other world power before their own emergence, there is bound to be another world power that would take over from them when they leave the seat of power. Martin Jacques’ When China Rules the World: the World: the Rise of the Middle Kingdom and the End of the Western World remind everyone of how the world is always bound to take new shapes even when people pretend not to notice. However, one of the many questions that keep coming to mind is one that has to do with the assumption that if indeed China’s rise to becoming the world’s superpower ever materializes, will the country be able to continue her domination based on the uniqueness of her culture or on the imitations other cultures? If the predictions of Martin Jacques and others that subscribe to his opinion will ever come to fruition, only time will tell. Work Cited Jacques, Martin. When China Rule the World. New York: Penguin Books, 2009. Read More