Superpower Interrupted
Prior to the Coronavirus outbreak, the greatest force in this part of the world was China. It’s awesome 40-year sprint to rise from economic backwater to leading nation is the stuff of legend. For the longest time, it was a tale of economic prowess and an apparent embrace of free-market enterprise. A sign, perhaps, of China’s joining the economic league of nations. But appearances can be deceiving. The Middle Kingdom may have a plan of its own.
The past few years suggests as much. Under the leadership of Xi Jinping, China is flexing some newfound geopolitical muscle marked by ambitious plans that speak of global expansion and smack of hubris. Two programs in particular — The Belt and Road Initiative and Made in China 2025 have received the lion’s share of attention. But there are dozens of others that reveal China’s lurking ambitions. From infrastructure to artificial intelligence, this country of 1.4 billion is on the march.
Into this vacuum comes my guest, Michael Schuman. He’s a long-time journalist with The Wall Street Journal and Time magazine, and author of several books. His latest: Superpower Interrupted. The title says it all.
Over the past seventy plus years, Communist rhetoric has served its purpose, flushing the system of old thinking to make way for the new. In the late 70s, Deng Xiaoping famously introduced “socialism with Chinese characteristics,” as a means of justifying a degree of market economics. That let loose one of the greatest periods of economic expansion the world has ever seen. China catapulted to number one in manufacturing, exports, e-Commerce, car production. The list goes on. Today, the Middle Kingdom is a force to be reckoned with. The means, some believe, have justified the ends. And if bending a few definitions on what it is to be Communist is the price to pay, so be it.
Now there’s a new narrative afoot, and it sounds like the re-kindling of a dynastic order. Promulgated by its leaders, pride in the past is to some degree in competition with more complacent Communist rhetoric. Whether this is a carefully orchestrated plan to reframe China as a country re-establishing its rightful place, or a bubbling up of cultural pride, is difficult to say. “Increasingly,” writes Schuman “the Communist regime is morphing into a new kind of dynasty.”
This raises an interesting question. If, indeed, China sees itself this way, it doesn’t mean the rest of the world has to agree. Superpower status comes with certain expectations, not least of which is the ability to reshape the world order.
Rome gave us aqueducts, a system for law and order, and the concept of state-sponsored military. The United States gave us Federalism, public schools, and reality TV. What will China’s big contribution be? Road and bridges? Advanced manufacturing, perhaps? Or will it be Covid-19? This narrative is a work in progress.
Want to learn more about China, its history, and its prospects? Check out Superpower Interrupted, available June 9 on Amazon or wherever you shop for books.
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