When China Rules the World
by Martin Jacques | 
The Writing on the Wall
by Will Hutton | 
The Party
by Richard McGregor | 
The Tragedy of the Chinese Revolution
by Harold Isaacs |
China, Inc.
by Ted C. Fishman | 
Age of Ambition
by Evan Osnos | 
Understanding China
by John Bryan Starr | 
On China
by Henry Kissinger | 
Postcards from Tomorrow Square
by James Fallows |
China Shakes the World
by James Kynge |
Out of Mao's Shadow
by Philip P. Pan | 
China Road
by Rob Gifford | 
Country Driving: A Chinese Road Trip
by Peter Hessler | 
Factory Girls
by Leslie T. Chang |
Prisoner of the State
by Zhao Ziyang |
Once a sleeping giant, China today is the world's fastest growing economy--the leading manufacturer of cell phones, laptop computers, and digital cameras--a dramatic turn-around that alarms many Westerners. But in China: Fragile Superpower, Susan L. Shirk opens up the black box of Chinese politics and finds that the real danger lies elsewhere--not in China's astonishing growth, but in the deep insecurity of its leaders. China's leaders face a troubling paradox: the more developed and prosperous the country becomes, the more insecure and threatened they feel. Shirk, a former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State responsible for China, knows many of today's Chinese rulers personally and has studied them for three decades. She offers invaluable insight into how they think--and what they fear. In this revealing book, readers see the world through the eyes of men like President Hu Jintao and former President Jiang Zemin. We discover a fragile communist regime desperate to survive in a society turned upside down by miraculous economic growth and a stunning new openness to the greater world. Indeed, ever since the 1989 pro-democracy protests in Tiananmen Square and the fall of communism in the Soviet Union, Chinese leaders have been afraid of its own citizens, and this fear motivates many of their decisions when dealing with the U.S. and other nations. In particular, the fervent nationalism of the Chinese people, combined with their passionate resentment of Japan and attachment to Taiwan, have made relations with this country a minefield. The paperback edition features a new preface by the author.