R. Bin Wong
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2016
- ISBN:
- 9780814772836
- eISBN:
- 9780814748695
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- NYU Press
- DOI:
- 10.18574/nyu/9780814772836.003.0007
- Subject:
- Sociology, Economic Sociology
This chapter discusses how domestic, regional, and global concerns intersect in Chinese thinking and mutually affect the policy choices leaders make. It starts with an examination of Chinese domestic ...
More
This chapter discusses how domestic, regional, and global concerns intersect in Chinese thinking and mutually affect the policy choices leaders make. It starts with an examination of Chinese domestic political economy and then moves outward through the Asian region to the global economy. This offers a distinctive perspective not only on China but also on Europe—a region of comparable size and diversity to the single country China. It also provides for an unconventional assessment of such factors as income disparities. National diversity and competition fueled an engine of growth in Europe despite the daunting challenges of unification. On both sides, the comparison sheds light on China as it achieves some of the world's highest growth rates and indeed works to sustain political unity. Thus, it should be no surprise that China's leaders work to reduce income diversity and increase political cohesion, even while their capacities for growth are constrained by collapsed global demand.Less
This chapter discusses how domestic, regional, and global concerns intersect in Chinese thinking and mutually affect the policy choices leaders make. It starts with an examination of Chinese domestic political economy and then moves outward through the Asian region to the global economy. This offers a distinctive perspective not only on China but also on Europe—a region of comparable size and diversity to the single country China. It also provides for an unconventional assessment of such factors as income disparities. National diversity and competition fueled an engine of growth in Europe despite the daunting challenges of unification. On both sides, the comparison sheds light on China as it achieves some of the world's highest growth rates and indeed works to sustain political unity. Thus, it should be no surprise that China's leaders work to reduce income diversity and increase political cohesion, even while their capacities for growth are constrained by collapsed global demand.
