He is rightly tough on America but ignores China’s many transgressions. I do not agree with many of Mahbubani’s conclusions. Countries including America, Australia and Britain are all under threat from China in these regards. In reality, it seems that only America must adopt these goals because Mahbubani gives inadequate attention to China’s aggressive threats (and acts) of financial penalties and sanctions against countries that oppose their human rights record, new security laws in Hong Kong, aggressive build-up of military and space weapons, covert spying and control of vital infrastructures. To resolve these differences, he suggests strategic goals both sides must adopt for peaceful coexistence, since despite misperceptions by China and America they both recognise war would be cataclysmic. On the other hand Mahbubani says China takes a long term patient approach to dealing with America, whilst deeply puzzled by America’s actions. Consequently, he says, America is now less able to apply diplomacy and more likely to adopt military responses to support its illusion of eternal US supremacy and exceptional virtue. He describes how the immense power of the US defence industry lobby groups use scaremongering to win enormous military contracts, whilst foreign diplomatic budgets have been slashed.
He cites America’s inability to be flexible in its international relations because of its undisputed supremacy after the collapse of the Soviet Union. How China is influencing and controlling foreign government policy, industry, universities, schools and even clubs by threats, infiltration, bribery, corruption and spying, whilst buying control of key infrastructures such as energy supplies and telecommunications and massive theft of technological developments.Īmerica is slammed by Mahbubani, comparing its current behaviour with that of the former Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War, whilst China is now behaving more as America did in the past. When you’ve read this book read “Silent Invasion: China’s influence in Australia” by Clive Hamilton to see how China REALLY behaves in the real world. The chapter I found most contentious is “Should China Become Democratic”? This is Chinese Communist Party propaganda. But my impression is of considerable criticism of America’s diplomatic incompetence, military aggression and closed minds, whilst China is sorely misunderstood by the West. I have tried hard to read it dispassionately and with an open mind. The book has much useful, interesting and original information about China’s political system – and especially how it views itself compared to the Western world. Mahbubani’s book “Has China Won?” makes for uncomfortable and brutal reading as he attempts to assess the weaknesses and failures of America and China in their international relations.
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