Overview

"In China's Galaxy Empire target a development of enormous significance: China's return, after two centuries of decline and subjugation, to a position of prominence in world affairs. The daring thesis is that China is a newly rising empire of a kind never before witnessed: a galaxy empire. The first to be born of the digital communications era, this young empire is economically and politically powerful, and heavily armed. Its gravitational, push-pull effects are impacting every continent--and even outer space, where China is competing with the United States, India, and Europe to become the leading power. The galaxy empire interpretation rejects clichéd misdescriptions of China as a ""big power"" or monolithic ""autocracy"", and it explains why China defies older definitions of land, sea, and air-based empires. The book charts the developments that have made its rising empire so novel, including the launch of the Belt and Road Initiative, the rapid rise of a global Chinese middle class, and internal colonialism in Tibet and Xinjiang. The book notes the protean, shapeshifting qualities of this young empire. It therefore warns against the political and military perils of simple-minded, friend-versus-enemy thinking and ""Big China, Bad China"" politics. But it also proffers a forewarning to China's rulers: while every rising empire aims to shift the balance of power in its favour, no empire lasts forever, and some are stillborn, because they indulge illusions of greatness and reckless power adventures."

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9780197629116

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Reviews

"""An incisive, original, and detailed analysis of one of the most consequential changes of the contemporary age: the rise of China to global prominence. Unlike previous imperial systems, the authors argue, the Chinese empire of today is far more global in scope than previous imperial systems and deeply rooted in digital interconnection rather than servitude."" -- Anthony Giddens, Life Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, United Kingdom ""An audacious and refreshing take on the emergence of a unique rising power that defies traditional, and predominantly geopolitical, definition. It presents an empire returning from its lost primacy and one that is creating its own order in the Global South through its extensive reach and application of economic and financial power, and its model of development. The book is a timely addition to the China debate and calls for a deeper understanding of the challenges beyond the typical dichotomous interpretations dominating today's discourses."" -- Jingdong Yuan, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute ""China's Galaxy Empire offers a totally new perspective on China. All previous commentaries on its rise have been made out of date. Essential reading."" -- Jocelyn Chey, University of Sydney ""The rise of China is perhaps the greatest story of our time. Few books manage to capture so perceptively and accurately the unique nature of this rise, what it is that drives China under Xi Jinping, and the challenge all this entails for the rest of the world, as Galaxy Empire does. If you want an answer to the question 'What does China want?' read this book."" -- Jorge Heine, Research Professor, Boston University, and former Chilean ambassador to China"

Author Information

John Keane is Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney. He is renowned globally for his creative thinking about politics, history, media, democracy, and is the author of many distinguished books including the bestselling Tom Paine: A Political Life (1995) and The Shortest History of Democracy (2022), which has so far been published in 15 languages. He has contributed to The New York Times, Al Jazeera, the Times Literary Supplement, Financial Times, The Guardian, Die Zeit, Hindustan Times, and the South China Morning Post. He was nominated for the 2021 Balzan Prize (Italy) and the Holberg Prize (Norway) for outstanding global contributions to the human sciences. Baogang He is Alfred Deakin Professor at Deakin University and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Professor He is widely known for his workÂon Chinese politics, in particular deliberative politics in China, and regionalism, international relations, federalism, and multiculturalism in Asia. His publications include essays in Science, British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Peace Research, Political Theory, Political Studies, and Perspectives on Politics. His published books include Rural Democracy in China (2007), Governing Taiwan and Tibet (2015), and the co-edited China and North Korea's Human Rights (2021).

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