The Fragility of China

"Many people have the wrong idea about China-they see all the strengths and few of the weaknesses. I'm writing this book to correct that misperception. China is racing to displace the United States as the world's dominant economic and military power. After three decades of unprecedented economic growth, China appointed Xi Jinping as its leader in 2013. After taking the reins, Xi decided it was time to put China in what he believes is its rightful place: First. Xi is doing everything in his power to make this happen, from the Made in China 2025 to his Belt and Road Initiative, both of which aim to center global trade and thus power around China. However, Xi Jinping's goals may not ultimately come to fruition because China is much more fragile than it outwardly appears. There are breaking points-MaxTrendsª-which pose serious challenges to the future Xi is dreaming of. Examples of MaxTrendsª are disturbing demographic trends in China, widespread corruption, the accelerating global arms race, the real estate crisis, the fractured global supply chain, and the Taiwan conflict. If the United States and other Western democracies want to blunt Xi's ambitions, they must take aggressive steps now. These steps include continuing to out-innovate China technologically, doubling down on a blue ocean strategy, aggressively countering Chinese cyber attacks, embracing multinational organizations, and making Africa a much higher priority. China and the United States find themselves in the middle of a true race to the top, and who will win depends on how each country responds to the MaxTrendsª affecting it"--