by James Mann
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Product Description
From The New York Times bestselling author of Rise of the Vulcans, an exploration of Chinese authoritarianism and Western capitalism
In The China Fantasy, bestselling author James Mann examines the evolution of American policy toward China and asks, Does it make sense? What are our ideas and hidden assumptions about China? In this vigorous look at China’s political evolution and its future, Mann explores two scenarios popular among the policy elite. The Soothing Scenario contends that the successful spread of capitalism will gradually bring about a development of democratic institutions, free elections, independent judiciary, and a progressive human rights policy. In the Upheaval Scenario, the contradictions in Chinese society between rich and poor, between cities and the countryside, and between the openness of the economy and the unyielding Leninist system will eventually lead to a revolution, chaos, or collapse. Against this backdrop, Mann poses a third scenario and asks, What will happen if Chinese capitalism continues to evolve and expand but the government fails to liberalize? What then and why should this third scenario matter to Americans? Mann explores this alternate possibility and—in this must-read book for anyone interested in international politics—offers a startling vision of our future with China that will have a profound impact for decades to come.
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Average Customer Review:
0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Worthy Opinion, but Lacking in the Facts Department, 2008-05-02
I'll keep this short and sweet:
Mann offers a lot of sobering thoughts, and his narrative is very straight-shooting. He calls things as he sees them, given his experience and qualifications, he's worth listening to. Any China expert should read this book, but then again, any China expert probably has.
The problem I have with this book is that Mann takes his case for granted. He provides no hard evidence to support his claims besides a dollar amount here or a name there. For better or for worse, it reads like a long editorial.
Expect to be enlightened, but not to be educated. I would implore anybody who reads this to complement it with something of more substance and objectivity.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
 Perspective, 2007-11-11
In 'The China Fantasy: How Our Leaders Explain Away Chinese Repression,' author James Mann reminds us in no uncertain terms of the forest that has been obscured by the trees; despite three and a half decades of catch phrases ("engagement," "integration," etc.) and speech after rhetoric-filled speech on behalf of various US presidents, secretaries of state, etc. to the tune that free market reform will inexorably lead to political reform, China is still run by a ruthless Leninist clique and there is NO evidence to suggest this will change in the foreseeable future.
They say the best books tell you what you already know and perhaps that's why I enjoyed this forceful, well documented, and relentlessly logical little tome so much. Although it's easy to see that Western leaders are now kowtowing to Beijing in order maintain trade, Mann helps to fill in quite a few blanks. He points out, for example, that China analysts based in the US are often sponsored by the very corporations that need America's citizenry to believe in the "China fantasy." Mann also asks some very tough questions, such as: if China is still an autocracy in two or three decades will that a.) mean that "engagement" (or whatever they call it in the future) will have failed? And b.) Will it really be in the US's best interest to still be dealing with such a government at that time?
I thought this book was excellent, but I wish it had been a little wider in scope. Mann plots the history of China-US relations but only goes as far back as the Nixon years. I believe that America's belief that change in China is inevitable is rooted in the Roosevelt years when the country was taken in by Chiang Kai-shek's conversion to Christianity and the tireless campaign of his Macon, Georgia educated (and Christian, of course) wife Soong Mei-ling. I also think that the author should have widened the scope beyond the US. For example, in Canada, demonstrators who assembled to protest a visit by Jiang Zemin were pepper sprayed by the national police acting under direct order from the (Liberal Party) prime minister, Jean Chretian. In England, there were similar incidents when protesters had their signs unlawfully confiscated, also during a visit from Jiang. Jiang berated his hosts for not being able to control their own populace before paradoxically demanding to know whether he "looked like a dictator." Members of the British govermnet and royal family made this up to Jiang later by singing "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow" in his honor. Perhaps the author believed that such examples (he gives many examples of American complicity and naivety) would dilute his argument, but if done well it could have reinforced it. (That said, it's solid enough.) In any case, one wonders just how far backward Western leaders and decision makers are willing to bend in order to accommodate China - not only in the US, but in all the Western world. Time will certainly tell.
Troy Parfitt, author
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
stretched out magazine article, but some excellent information, 2007-09-04
I have read over a dozen books on China recently, and Mann goes into detail on one important aspect that no one else mentions: how our own government officials are being bought out and corrupted by China. He names names and dollar figures on the many American political leaders who have left office and gone directly onto the payroll of China as 'consultants' paid to use their US govt contacts to made introductions. No wonder our government is unwilling to take action re China's hold on our Treasury Bills and economy as a strategic threat or do something about all their predatory economic practices. For example, their economic miracle is based on undercutting the prices of their competition - but China has falsely set their currency exchange rate below actual market values. We complain and do nothing. Why? Could it be because every China expert in the State department retires and becomes a consultant in the pay of China? Some famous names who now work for China as 'consultants' - Kissinger, Madeleine Albright, Clinton's national security advisor Sandy Berger, William Cohen (Clinton's defense secretary), Republican Carla Hills (the US Trade Rep), REpublican Brent Snowcroft (national security advisor to Bush senior).
Other than this very interesting insight, I found Mann is a lazy researcher and this books largely reads like a padded magazine article. He tends to make assertions without going into the facts in enough detail to make them persuasive -even when he is correct. For example, he mentions China's harmful role in international politics, but doesn't give the actual stories - that they are the suppliers of missile technology to Iran for example, and are aggressively pursuing oil stakes in the Middle East by arming every despotic regime that more responsible nations are shunning.
If the thesis of China becoming neither democractic nor falling apart interests you, there is a highly intelligent in-depth analysis called China's Trapped Transition. The Limits of Developmental Autocracy.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:
Good for Chinese to understand American policy, 2007-09-04
I like reading articles of James Mann at Los Angeles Times, and this book gives me more understanding of American policy towards China.
Recently, the mayor of Pasadena, California used almost exact words as James quoted in his book to respond to the criticism by the human rights groups for his invitation of Beijing "Olympic float" in Rose Parade 2008.
I wish that Mr. Mann could have also commented on a new wave of movement in China of denouncing Chinese communist party which was trigured by an article in Epoch Times, "Nine Commentaries on Communist Party".
This book is high recommended.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
serious food for thought, 2007-08-25
Mann's worry of an enduring repressive Chinese Communist Party leadership is well supported by his arguments and analysis. It is a must read for anybody with serious long-term interest in China.
My quibble is Mann's simplistic usage of the term democracy. I wish James had dived deeper into what he exactly means by "a democratic China". Even if China were embracing democracy today, it is a *tremendous* challenge to implement a democracy at China's scale and under the current somewhat fervent social conditions.
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