China is becoming ever more deeply integrated with global political
economy. This book addresses critical issues in this process. The author
examines the paradox of the global market economy that is presided over
by 70 million members of the Chinese Communist Party, and analyses
China's policy of 'innovation in an open environment', attempting to
nurture a group of globally competitive, large-scale companies. In
addition, the book analyses the challenges that China's political
economy faces in the twenty-first century, identifying the way in which
China is attempting to resolve these contradictions by building on its
rich historical experience to regulate market forces. It further
examines the wider context of global capitalism within which Chinese
development is taking place. Capitalism is the key propulsive force in
technical progress. The recent period has seen an unprecedented
liberation of this force. However, this force is a two-edged sword. The
unprecedented advances have come hand-in-hand with unprecedented
challenges that threaten the very survival of the human species.
Finally, it studies the relationship between the United States and
China. Through cooperative behaviour, the US and China can help lead the
world towards a sustainable future for mankind, with a global market
economy regulated in the common interest of all human beings. In the
absence of such a mechanism, the prospects for humanity are bleak. Peter
Nolan is Sinyi Professor of Chinese Management at the Judge Institute of
Management, Cambridge University, and Fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge
University. He is a consultant to the Ford Foundation on the Chinese
rural economy and also consultant to the State Council of the People's
Republic of China. His previous publications include Transforming China:
Globalization, Transition and Development (Anthem Press, 2004).