Choice 评论

Based on the 1999 Cato Institute conference "Whither China? The PRC at 50," these Chinese and Western authors have produced 19 well-composed essays conveying the libertarian perspective of their sponsor. China's Future will not be noted for its breadth. Absent are arguments of those who seek to "punish" China and chastise US presidents for softness on Beijing's record on human rights or foreign relations. Social democrats may chafe at the premise that the only liberal doctrine worthy of the name is the "classical" form, especially as enunciated by Hayek. But the writers are well informed and persuasive, arguing that Chinese foreign policy (even in its intransigence on Taiwan) is governed not by ideology but by national interest, which motivates great powers generally; that if Beijing's regional objectives are revisionist, they may be attributed to US hegemony in East Asia; that PRC economic reform is remarkable, and political change, coming more slowly, is being pushed by economic reforms and by Chinese thinkers' new embrace of liberalism; and that, although there is much with which Washington could disagree (e.g., Beijing's heavy-handed embrace of newly acquired Hong Kong), US policy, motivated by self-interest, should seek inclusion of China. Worth reading alongside works offering other perspectives for scholars, graduate students, and upper-level undergraduates. J. D. Gillespie; Presbyterian College