Handbook of US-China Relations

摘要

For reasons outside my control, this book was delayed in transit. By an extraordinary coincidence, it finally arrived in my post box on Donald Trump's inauguration day. I was concerned that this upsetting event may have rendered the book obsolete before I even opened it. Superficially, this does seem the case. There are 17 references to Hillary Clinton in the book's index, but next to the six index entries under Harry Truman, there are none whatsoever to Donald Trump - the index jumps straight from Truman to US Air Force. The geopolitical scene has clearly changed since this book was conceived and written. All the evidence, at the time when this review is being written, is that it has become even more unstable and dangerous than the essays here would suggest. Even before his inauguration, Trump indicated that he has not read or taken in the contents of Chapter 15 of this book - Taiwan in USA-China Relations: Taiwan remains a major potential flashpoint. The Trans-Pacific Trade Partnership referred to in the chapter on economic relations has been torn up and there is, at the time of writing, increased naval confrontation around various oceanographic hot spots, all this within a week or so. Nevertheless, the book is still worth considering. There is plenty of meat in the 25 carefully planned essays here.