China's rise in Asia: promises and perils

Abstract

China's Rise in Asia: Promises and Perils, by Robert G. Suiter. London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. xii + 297 pp. US$69.00 (hardcover), US$24.95 (paperback). Robert Sutter, currently a visiting Professor at the School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University, is without question one of America's most experienced Asia hands. His 30-year long career in the US Government engaged him in work with the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Department of State, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the National Intelligence Council. The demanding nature of the subject matter addressed in his latest book, China's Rise in Asia: Promises and Perils, requires Sutter to draw upon all the acumen acquired during this long and distinguished career. Notwithstanding the substantial degree of attention currently being devoted to the threat of terrorism, the management of China's rise (in an international system in which America will almost certainly remain the dominant power) is fast emerging as the most complex and challenging global security issue of the 21st century. Suiter's analysis of this seminal issue is factually rich. Much of the book is devoted to describing and assessing the dynamics of China's relationships with individual countries (the US, Japan, Russia, Taiwan and the two Koreas) and with particular sub-regions (Southeast Asia, South Asia and Central Asia). On a less positive note, much of the ground covered in these chapters will already be familiar to many, and while the assiduous manner in which Sutter approaches these relationships is no doubt a reflection of the 20 years he spent in a variety of posts at the US Library of Congress, at times his penchant for detail affects the accessibility of the analysis. The most original and refreshing aspect of Suiter's work lies in its attempt to shed greater light on the nature of Chinese foreign policy motivation. In recent times, debates over the future direction of Chinese foreign policy have tended to pit those who argue that Beijing's so-called new diplomacy reflects a genuine strategic change of heart against those who maintain that it is merely a tactical shift on the part of China's leaders as they seek to consolidate their own position during a critical transitional period. By attempting an important unpacking of PRC foreign policy motivation, Suiter's study promises to advance this debate beyond the tactical/strategic dichotomy. To this end, his research draws upon a significant number of interviews conducted throughout the Asia-Pacific region, including discussions with 50 specialists and officials in China itself. Unfortunately, however, this impressive research effort ultimately does not deliver as much as one might hope in terms of prying open the black box of PRC foreign policy decisionmaking. Whether this is simply a product of the ongoing difficulties of conducting research in a tightly controlled political environment is open to speculation. …