China and the West: Crossroads of Civilisation

Cover; Half Title; Title Page; Copyright Page; Dedication; Table of Contents; List of tables; Preface; Introduction; Notes; PART I: China and the West over the long term; 1. Convergence and divergence in the long-run development of China and the West; Introduction; The first convergence; The first divergence; The second divergence; The second convergence; Conclusion; Notes; 2. How China sees the West; Introduction; Unity and disunity; Political system; Balance; External expansion; Religion; Militarism; Innovation; Nationalism; Communism; Conclusion; Notes

Capitalist globalisation since the 1980s has produced immense benefits in terms of technical progress, poverty reduction and welfare improvement. However, it has been accompanied by profound contradictions, including ecological destruction, global warming, inequality, concentration of business power, and financial instability. Regulation of global political economy in the interests of the majority of the world's population is essential if the human species is to avoid a Darwinian catastrophe. This book explores China's rich history of regulating the market in the interests of the mass of the population. For over two thousand years the Chinese bureaucracy has sought pragmatically to find a Way in which to integrate the 'invisible hand' of market forces with the 'visible hand' of ethically guided government regulation. Instead of seeking confrontation with China, citizens and politicians in the West need to deepen their understanding of the contribution that China can make to globally sustainable development in the decades and centuries ahead.