China Goes Global: The Partial Power

In his discussion of his new book, China Goes Global, David Shambaugh focuses on how this increasingly powerful nation has become more active and assertive throughout the world.

Moderator: Wen-hsin Yeh, Professor of Modern Chinese History, and Director, Institute of East Asian Studies, UC Berkeley

Speaker/Performer: David Shambaugh, Political Science and International Affairs, and Director of the China Policy Program, George Washington University

Sponsors: Institute of East Asian Studies (IEAS), Center for Chinese Studies (CCS)

Most global citizens are well aware of the explosive growth of the Chinese economy, and China watchers have shed much light on the country's internal dynamics--China's politics, its vast social changes, and its economic development. In his discussion of his new book, China Goes Global, David Shambaugh focuses on how this increasingly powerful nation has become more active and assertive throughout the world.

Thirty years ago, China's role in global affairs beyond its immediate East Asian periphery was decidedly minor and it had little geostrategic power. As Shambaugh charts, though, China's expanding economic power has allowed it to extend its reach virtually everywhere--from mineral mines in Africa, to currency markets in the West, to oilfields in the Middle East, to agribusiness in Latin America, to the factories of East Asia. Shambaugh offers an enlightening look into the manifestations of China's global presence: its extensive commercial footprint, its growing military power, its increasing cultural influence or "soft power," its diplomatic activity, and its new prominence in global governance institutions. Shambaugh argues that China's global presence is more broad than deep and that China still lacks the influence befitting a major world power--what he terms a "partial power," and explores China's current and future roles in world affairs.

Event Contact: ieas@berkeley.edu, 510-642-2809