Collaboration and Competition in Shifting Global Power Dynamics: A Review of China's Next Act: How Sustainability and Technology are Reshaping China's Rise and the World's Future by Scott Moore

Abstract

Collaboration and Competition in Shifting Global Power DynamicsA Review of China's Next Act: How Sustainability and Technology are Reshaping China's Rise and the World's Future by Scott Moore Jialan Deal (bio) A Review of China's Next Act: How Sustainability and Technology are Reshaping China's Rise and the World's Future by Scott Moore Introduction In an interconnected world, geopolitical and economic competition between rival powers becomes increasingly complex. Although international relations scholars debate whether China deserves the title of superpower, the country's ascendency threatens the current U.S. hegemonic world order. Despite heated rhetoric from both China and the United States, some issues, including climate change and public health crises, transcend differences and destabilize both countries. When addressing these problems, the United States and China must decide whether to respond with cooperation or competition. In his book, China's Next Act: How Sustainability and Technology are Reshaping China's Rise and the World's Future, Scott Moore, director of China Programs and Strategic Initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, explores the nuances of U.S.-China relations, particularly opportunities for both competition and cooperation between the two countries. The Future of US-China Collaboration In China's Next Act, Moore draws on his extensive knowledge from working at the China desk at the State Department and his experience living in Hong Kong. The book incorporates testimonies from experts in U.S.-China relations and from those with a deep understanding of how China has managed its extraordinary development over the past few decades. Moore explicitly uses the book's final sentence to elucidate his central message: "in a future shaped by climate change, pandemics, and technology, all countries ultimately need China to succeed—and vice versa" (Moore 2022). He believes that it is impossible to ignore China altogether due to China's size and current international standing; however, due to China and the United States' ideological differences, it is also impossible for the two countries to collaborate in all areas. Moore primarily argues the following two points for navigating this complex relationship: first, certain issues such as scientific collaboration and conservation must be protected from politicization for the public good, and second, substate actors must play a larger role in the relationship between the United States and China. The book begins with exploring cooperation and competition in public goods between the United States and China through public health and climate change lenses. It then focuses on the impact of technology on U.S.-China relations and discusses a range of issues, such as talent acquisition, innovation, and emerging technologies. While these topics seem disconnected, they are all issue areas that unite Washington and Beijing in competition or cooperation. Though Moore has a self-acknowledged bias towards liberalism, his arguments are supported by reliable statistics and policy exploration from both the Chinese and American perspectives. Furthermore, he is unafraid to probe into the heart of topics, looking past the surface-level propaganda released by governments. This nuanced [End Page 129] approach is particularly important when he dissects the statistics reported by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), thus providing a clearer picture of reality in China without the distortion of propaganda. The Politicization of Public Goods Moore spends his first few chapters describing what public goods are and how they present opportunities for interaction between the United States and China. He defines public goods as "things like climate protection, pandemic prevention, and knowledge production that benefit the citizens of all countries, yet typically cannot be provided by one country alone" (Moore 2022, 2). Although an issue that threatens all may seem like an opportunity for global unity, Moore states that many topics have become increasingly politicized, making cooperation impossible. He argues that Beijing's approach to public goods has been increasingly influenced by three illiberal influences: authoritarianism, protectionism, and nationalism. According to him, this change is part of China's struggle to adapt to ecological and technological problems (Moore 2022, 7). Moore points to the U.S. and Chinese response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a prime example. Though scientists shared the virus's genome, allowing for some substate cooperation, nationalism and national agendas...