Read 1
On China
Give this one time. Kissinger offers a patient map of the historical thinking behind Chinese diplomacy, deepening the questions about negotiation and the balance of power raised in World Order.
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China Ascendant
Approach China through deliberately contrasting accounts of history, diplomacy, strategic ambition, and corporate interdependence. Read disagreements as part of the reading guide.
Chinese history and worldview lead into diplomacy, strategic competition, and the practical dependencies embedded in technology supply chains.
Reading order
Use this suggested order as a starting point, or choose the book that interests you most.
Read 2
China's Civilian Army
Headlines about combative Chinese diplomats make more sense with Martin’s account of the institution behind them. His readable reporting helps explain the shift from quiet diplomacy toward a more public, nationalistic approach.
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Read 3
The Hundred-Year Marathon
Pillsbury offers a deliberately skeptical counterpoint to the other China selections. It is one of my favorites in the sequence, though it can be dry. His argument about long-term strategic patience is controversial; read it alongside competing accounts and examine the evidence behind each.
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Read 4
Apple in China
Apple’s commercial success and its geopolitical vulnerabilities are bound together in this account. I appreciate McGee’s attention to that dependence and what it means for trade, labor, and national security, without reducing the relationship to a simple argument for or against either country.
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Read 5
Sparks
Independent voices inside China add something the strategic accounts cannot provide on their own. Sparks broadens a section that also examines the country through diplomacy and state institutions.
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Read 6
The Party
The Party provides institutional context for understanding China’s system. Its value here is that foundation, rather than a claim to be a continuously updated account of current events.
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Read 7
Spies and Lies
Influence is a strategic activity worth examining in its own right. Spies and Lies encourages scrutiny of sources, access, and the assumptions behind an account.
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Read 8
The Long Game
Put The Long Game beside The Hundred-Year Marathon and compare the evidence. Different arguments about long-term strategy are most useful when neither is allowed to stand unchallenged.
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Optional companions that extend or challenge the core sequence.
Breakneck
Apple in China shows the dependencies of one company; Breakneck widens the view to engineering and industrial capability. Together, they make a useful pairing for thinking about the material foundations of competition.
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