Has China Won?: The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy
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- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Kishore Mahbubani
- ISBN：1541758676
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Summary
A leading global public intellectual explains how， while America became arrogant and distracted， a three-thousand-year-old civilization is well on the way to becoming the number one power in the world。
The twenty-first century's great geopolitical contest has begun。 A major trade war has broken out。 American and Chinese naval vessels are having close encounters in the South China Sea。 American congressmen and businessmen are cheering their government's public attacks on China。 China is standing firm and resolute。 Who will win this contest？ What is at stake？ And who will judge the winner？
In this book， Kishore Mahbubani evaluates the two sides， and shows how China has been thinking on a global scale， launching ambitious initiatives under some of the world's most pragmatic and competent leaders。 Most critically， the Chinese people have regained their cultural confidence。 Chinese society is now infused with innovation and dynamism。 Meanwhile， America has seen the power of its economic model badly damaged by the 2008 financial crisis。 To many it is no longer the indispensable nation but an awkward interloper。
The global rise of China and the relative strategic decline of the US presents a political challenge that the US has never faced before。 American policymakers must shake off their complacency and launch a major strategic reboot of both domestic and foreign policies that have weakened the nation's social foundations and global standing。 Otherwise， the start-up nation， barely two hundred and fifty years old， with only a quarter of China's population， cannot expect to defeat the world's oldest continuous civilization。 With his trademark candor， Mahbubani delivers impartial and incisive insights on the strategic stakes and mistakes in this new great game。
The twenty-first century's great geopolitical contest has begun。 A major trade war has broken out。 American and Chinese naval vessels are having close encounters in the South China Sea。 American congressmen and businessmen are cheering their government's public attacks on China。 China is standing firm and resolute。 Who will win this contest？ What is at stake？ And who will judge the winner？
In this book， Kishore Mahbubani evaluates the two sides， and shows how China has been thinking on a global scale， launching ambitious initiatives under some of the world's most pragmatic and competent leaders。 Most critically， the Chinese people have regained their cultural confidence。 Chinese society is now infused with innovation and dynamism。 Meanwhile， America has seen the power of its economic model badly damaged by the 2008 financial crisis。 To many it is no longer the indispensable nation but an awkward interloper。
The global rise of China and the relative strategic decline of the US presents a political challenge that the US has never faced before。 American policymakers must shake off their complacency and launch a major strategic reboot of both domestic and foreign policies that have weakened the nation's social foundations and global standing。 Otherwise， the start-up nation， barely two hundred and fifty years old， with only a quarter of China's population， cannot expect to defeat the world's oldest continuous civilization。 With his trademark candor， Mahbubani delivers impartial and incisive insights on the strategic stakes and mistakes in this new great game。
Reviews
Jeroen
，
America and China have experienced an increasing amount of rivalry over the past years。 Trade embargo's are set into place， military muscles are flexed in the South China Sea， and public officials speak negatively of their counterparts。 But this need not be， argues Kishore。 Instead of focussing on their differences， the two countries should instead focus on their common ground。 There are immense opportunities for trade， beneficial to both countries。 China is fast becoming the country with the la America and China have experienced an increasing amount of rivalry over the past years。 Trade embargo's are set into place， military muscles are flexed in the South China Sea， and public officials speak negatively of their counterparts。 But this need not be， argues Kishore。 Instead of focussing on their differences， the two countries should instead focus on their common ground。 There are immense opportunities for trade， beneficial to both countries。 China is fast becoming the country with the largest middle-class in the world， and America could massively share in the economic benefits。 Still， though， America feels threatened that it might some day have to share the superpower stage。 But contrary to common American belief， China might not desire to obtain global military influence。 Instead， China's desires might be more national - to restore the kingdom that once was。Kishore Mahbubani shares an interesting perspective， that Westerners do not usually get。 In this book， you will get to see things from an outsiders point of view。 With Singapore as his home and having worked with both Chinese and American officials， Kishore makes an attempt to decrypt the Chinese and American attitudes。 Uncovering the sometimes poisonous or unconstructive discours in which both countries speak or behave。 Uncovering the deeper intuition that is foundational to the common thought in both countries。 The sense of inherent 'goodness' that Americans often carry with them， and the political actions carried out in a rage of emotion on both sides。 This book is a call for realist politics。 For thinking rationally and cooperating on the most important issues of the day， like climate change。→ Overall rating: 5/5 for the message and content of the book， but 3/5 for the writing。 The book should have been divided into more chapters to make it easier-to-digest。 Chapters were long and paragraphs were not always logically connected。 Though still 4/5 stars because of the message of the book。 。。。more
JEAN-PHILIPPE PEROL
，
Un livre exceptionnel que nos hommes politiques， trop influencés par les les délires sectaires de Falun Gong ou les jalousies aveugles de l'ultra-droite américaine， devrait prendre comme manuel de référence pour redefinir une stratégie dans l'inévitable-ou-évitable conflit entre la （encore） première super-puissance et sa rivale qui retrouve inexorablement sa place。 Singapourien d'origine indienne， diplomate et universitaire， ayant occupé des postes de hautes responsabilités， replace sur la carte Un livre exceptionnel que nos hommes politiques， trop influencés par les les délires sectaires de Falun Gong ou les jalousies aveugles de l'ultra-droite américaine， devrait prendre comme manuel de référence pour redefinir une stratégie dans l'inévitable-ou-évitable conflit entre la （encore） première super-puissance et sa rivale qui retrouve inexorablement sa place。 Singapourien d'origine indienne， diplomate et universitaire， ayant occupé des postes de hautes responsabilités， replace sur la carte du monde dans 2000 ans d'Histoire les données geopolitiques qui peuvent dessiner une approche bénéfique pour les deux pays et pour les pays tiers qui ne doivent pas tomber dans le piège d'une prise de partie pour l'un des deux camps。 。。。more
Ben Rogers
，
It was okay。 Not nearly half as good as China Unbound: A New World Disorder。Lots of history and not too many recommendations for "moving forward"。3。6/5 It was okay。 Not nearly half as good as China Unbound: A New World Disorder。Lots of history and not too many recommendations for "moving forward"。3。6/5 。。。more
Andrew S。C。
，
Good read。 Kishore is insightful as usual。
C Corbs
，
At times a good amount of objective Chinese support， but some of the American rhetoric can be boring。 In the conclusion he brings up some points he hadn’t gone into full detail on in the main body。 Largely a good objective summary of the issues and potential solutions
Benet
，
A thought provoking analysis of the nature of Sino-American competition and how it could play out in decades to come。 Provides a straightforward and digestible breakdown of the geopolitical and ideological obstacles facing both countries。 As a former Singaporean diplomat with ties to both China and the US， the author provides a unique perspective that is not fully influenced by the interests and assumptions of either superpower。
Shuyuan
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Interesting arguments。 As a career diplomat and scholar， the author demonstrated superb understanding of the complex relationships among nations and cultures。 The conclusions/recommendations are mostly solid and critically practical to a peaceful resolution of international conflicts and to the establishment of a better world order。 Towards the middle of the book， however， the author may have lost grip of the reality of current China， with some viewpoints being superficial。 In this regard， his o Interesting arguments。 As a career diplomat and scholar， the author demonstrated superb understanding of the complex relationships among nations and cultures。 The conclusions/recommendations are mostly solid and critically practical to a peaceful resolution of international conflicts and to the establishment of a better world order。 Towards the middle of the book， however， the author may have lost grip of the reality of current China， with some viewpoints being superficial。 In this regard， his opinion may be typical of elite guests visiting the country briefly seeing only the glorified side of the society and economy。 The economic achievements of the past 30 years were not independent but largely related to China's interaction with the world。 Therefore， despite the fact that the author is an excellent writer， some of the suggested approaches for the West to take in the future may not be as effective as one hopes。 For example， the author emphasized the emergence of a strong middle class in China， which may need further examination。 As for a Sino-American cooperation in fighting the global warming， the author is right on target。 Aside from all the differences and competitions， this approach is vital the survival of human kind。 。。。more
Hua Wang
，
Had China won？ Of course not。 This book isn't about whether China or America has won or will。 It's about how America and China can coexist and work together to tackle the pressing issues affecting the whole humanity including climate change， worldwide poverty given the possibility that China can surpasses America in economy size and become the No 1 power。 Kishore has a deep understanding of both political systems and his remarks are fun to read。 Had China won？ Of course not。 This book isn't about whether China or America has won or will。 It's about how America and China can coexist and work together to tackle the pressing issues affecting the whole humanity including climate change， worldwide poverty given the possibility that China can surpasses America in economy size and become the No 1 power。 Kishore has a deep understanding of both political systems and his remarks are fun to read。 。。。more
Erica
，
“The final question will therefore not be whether America or China has won。 It will be whether humanity has won。”
hami
，
Written for the average white audience。 Mahbubani is trying to convince the already bias westerners not to hate China， because sooner than later America will fall behind and China becomes the number power in the world。 How to cope with such a world （where wyt people are not in the center of the universe anymore， and western individualism is not the dominate ideology） is the topic of the book。 Again if you are from global south， chances are this book is not written for you。 Unless， you like to he Written for the average white audience。 Mahbubani is trying to convince the already bias westerners not to hate China， because sooner than later America will fall behind and China becomes the number power in the world。 How to cope with such a world （where wyt people are not in the center of the universe anymore， and western individualism is not the dominate ideology） is the topic of the book。 Again if you are from global south， chances are this book is not written for you。 Unless， you like to hear that your government and your way of life is not as backward as westerners think it is。 I have Mahbubani’a classic book “Can Asians Think？” But after reading this book， I am not sure if I will visit that one anytime soon。 I have to give him credit for mentioning basic facts that the International Community （the real international community: 180+ countries outside of Europe and US satellites） already know。 Namely， American human rights violations， Abu Ghoraib， Guantanamo， Drone Assassinations with 90% civilian death， Obama’s Terror Tuesdays/assassin in chief， Numerous military interventions and CIA backed coups， war crimes， targeted killings， prosecution of journalists， etc。 The other reason he wrote this book was probably his frustration with Donald Trump and other right-wing American politicians pursuing a “America First” and “Climate who gives a F” policy。 As Mahbubani is a liberal capitalist diplomat， he is also trying to convince America to like China and South Asian ASEA countries to invest in friendly relations with them。 He is a good writer so you can finish the book easily。 。。。more
Chris Esposo
，
Given the low baseline on much of the pop international-relations books on the US-China relationship， and its various dimensions， released over the past 4 years， much of which are sensationalist or poorly researched （see “The 100 Year Marathon” as a more “respectable” example）， this book is fairly well-done， though imperfect。 I’ve watched Kishore Mahmubani many times since the release （and even right before as the publicity was ramping up） of this book， from IntelligenceSquared debates to policy Given the low baseline on much of the pop international-relations books on the US-China relationship， and its various dimensions， released over the past 4 years， much of which are sensationalist or poorly researched （see “The 100 Year Marathon” as a more “respectable” example）， this book is fairly well-done， though imperfect。 I’ve watched Kishore Mahmubani many times since the release （and even right before as the publicity was ramping up） of this book， from IntelligenceSquared debates to policy seminars for the various think-tanks etc。 His premise is very simple: the US cannot “contain” China economically （not alone at least）， and therefore there needs to be some kind of ‘understanding’ or compact between the two。 Any sound analysis will conclude this just on the likely growth trajectory of China from a per-capita GDP perspective， as it will at least partially converge to “first world levels”' for a large subset of the population within the next decade or so。 As Mahbubani concludes， a China， even a quarter of per-capita GDP of the US， is a China too big for the US to face off itself。 That being said， the author is actually not really “pro-China”， in fact， he effectively believes （if not stating directly） that some kind of countervailing alliance of nations， including Russia， will form to “balance out” China， as it becomes larger/richer economically （and thus， militarily）。 Further， he does not criticize this possibility （though it’s merits or truth are not certain at least to me）。 Reading through some of the reviews， the above fact seems to be omitted by many of the other reviewers。 The book is not written as a pro-China agitprop piece to lambast “Westernism”， it is basically written from the view of a policy analyst working to advise US actions。 Having read the book in mid-2021， nothing that the Biden administration has done， which is very much adversarial vis-a-vis China， including the recent announcement of the AUKUS axis contradicts Mahmubani’s thesis/viewpoints。 In fact， everything the current administration has done would likely be praised by Mahmubani as the administration is attempting to “correct” two things Mahmubani states explicitly as a faulty US strategy: 1。 the unilateral impulse in trade/political/military policy， 2。 acting without a “plan”。 He even dedicates an entire chapter outlining how he believes the CCP has caused this proto-countervailing encirclement because of their neglect to placate US elites through political/business/economic incentives， and this neglect meant that when the Trump administration began it’s trade war， there were no agents in the socio-economic-industrial-political blob that was willing to militate for it’s position within the domestic debate。 Of course， he does follow that chapter with what the US has done wrong， but that is almost exclusively centered on the actions of Donald Trump and his right-of-center think-tank cliques。 There is some societal commentary on the societal racism within the West primarily manifesting within the “Yellow Peril” narrative， but much of his analysis in this dimension is shallow and inconsequential to the most of the text other than as a possible explanation as to why the US is unwilling to “hand-off hegemony” peacefully to the PRC， as the British did so to the US a hundred years prior。 From the historical viewpoint of 2018-2019， this book was clearly written to correct Trump’s unilateral tendencies with respect to the policies of trade and military agitation vis-a-vis China， they are not necessarily saying those are a bad thing。 Mahmubani is sly in the way he writes， attempting to replicate a normative-voice。 In this case， he compares the nascent US-China geo-economic conflict （from the view of 2018-19） to the first US-USSR Cold War， buy with the roles inverted， the Chinese are in the US’ shoes， supporting the global trade-network and the US has assumed the role that the USSR played in that conflict， being the outsider。 I don’t really buy that as a really deep analog， despite some superficial similarities， and this is borne out in the first few months of the Biden administration as again， he has attempted to reverse all of those perceived errors。 In the end， the book is definitely well-written， it’s only exceptional in the sense that so much of the text published prior to it （and since it’s publication） have been so sensationalist and one-sided。 Had this not been the case， this book would easily be a forgettable piece of policy writing。 Mahmubani isn’t saying anything that is interesting， obscure， or surprising。 He is providing sound analysis （it is said that this is a feature in an industry that is purported to be founded on all sound-analysis i。e。 the think-tank industry）， which I guess is better than unsound analysis。 Conditional recommendation for newish readers in the area of SIno-US policy/history。 。。。more
Rudi Pauwelijn
，
Ik vond het 5 sterren waard omdat het onderwerp mij niet zoveel zegt maar ik toch met plezier het boek heb uitgelezen ， ik heb weinig kennis van het monitaire en het nationalistische， als inwoner van een belachelijk klein land waar stemmen zijn dat het niet bestuurbaar is vind ik het wat raar om een boek te lezen dat 2 grote landen als China en de VS beschrijft als personen individuen die als 1 geheel functioneren， zelf ben ik wat introspectief en beschouw mezelf als mijn grootste vijand het luk Ik vond het 5 sterren waard omdat het onderwerp mij niet zoveel zegt maar ik toch met plezier het boek heb uitgelezen ， ik heb weinig kennis van het monitaire en het nationalistische， als inwoner van een belachelijk klein land waar stemmen zijn dat het niet bestuurbaar is vind ik het wat raar om een boek te lezen dat 2 grote landen als China en de VS beschrijft als personen individuen die als 1 geheel functioneren， zelf ben ik wat introspectief en beschouw mezelf als mijn grootste vijand het lukt me niet altijd om mijn botten te krijgen waar ik wil ， persoonlijk denk ik dat ieder groot en klein land afhankelijk is van hoe het samengaat met zijn inwoners onderling ， Interessant boek dat mijn wereld wat heeft verruimd 。。。more
Thomas Wiltshire
，
This was a difficult read as some statements were very inflammatory and sometimes poorly supported。 However， it is important to broaden the scope of opinions you explore。 The author makes his strongest point when discussing the economic relationship between America and China and his weakest points when talking about the militarization of China。 I would recommend this book to someone who wants to receive an outsider opinion on the US-China conflict。 Also， this book is already outdated and recent This was a difficult read as some statements were very inflammatory and sometimes poorly supported。 However， it is important to broaden the scope of opinions you explore。 The author makes his strongest point when discussing the economic relationship between America and China and his weakest points when talking about the militarization of China。 I would recommend this book to someone who wants to receive an outsider opinion on the US-China conflict。 Also， this book is already outdated and recent Chinese actions aren’t mentioned （Uyghur genocide， COVID-19 lab leak） 。。。more
Aw7361a
，
Very biased， which is okay。 I went into it knowing I would get a pro-China view， and wanted to experience that。 However there were countless unsubstantiated claims， sweeping statements， and lacking references and citations for many claims made。
Manel
，
Um retrato da economia/sociedade chinesa atual versus outras economias/sociedades， principalmente a americana。
Simon
，
Provocative – but you don't have to agree with everything he says。 Precisely that makes it a very valuable book from an interesting point of view。 Provocative – but you don't have to agree with everything he says。 Precisely that makes it a very valuable book from an interesting point of view。 。。。more
jaime
，
Buen libro para entender las relaciones futuras de estas dos naciones？Buen libro para entender cómo funcionarán las relaciones entre estas dos superpotencias。 No es un tema de quien ganara， sino lo que podría ganar la humanidad。
Craig Johnson
，
Airport book for libs that want to feel well informed。 300 pages but not a lot of new or interesting information to justify the page count。 The bits about America being a good country that loves freedom is nauseating and I could maybe early on say they're just easing their liberal interventionist reader into the thesis of the book but they seem genuinely baffled at how American plutocracy works。It's very funny to see other reviews say it's heavily biased towards China when it's just the blandest Airport book for libs that want to feel well informed。 300 pages but not a lot of new or interesting information to justify the page count。 The bits about America being a good country that loves freedom is nauseating and I could maybe early on say they're just easing their liberal interventionist reader into the thesis of the book but they seem genuinely baffled at how American plutocracy works。It's very funny to see other reviews say it's heavily biased towards China when it's just the blandest statement of facts and things that work in their favor and how the US government is incapable of changing or doing anything to benefit itself in the long term （see 2020 primary （if you disagree with this， see the 2016 primary））The fall of the US empire is going to feature very funny amounts of Cope， check reviews on this book to see more。Can't really recommend this book， you'd be better serve just grabbing a history book on China 。。。more
Andrew
，
Even though Mahbubani's arguments are flawed （e。g。 he doesn't discuss East Asia's demographic time bombs）， his book is great as a thought-provoking exercise: what if one viewed the US-China relationship from a perspective far outside America's Overton window？ How can America uphold its interests and values if the CCP's propaganda turns out to be correct？ Even though Mahbubani's arguments are flawed （e。g。 he doesn't discuss East Asia's demographic time bombs）， his book is great as a thought-provoking exercise: what if one viewed the US-China relationship from a perspective far outside America's Overton window？ How can America uphold its interests and values if the CCP's propaganda turns out to be correct？ 。。。more
Federico Marchisio
，
A very thought provoking geopolitical book。 It challenges everything we assume about the US and China - the myth of American moral and economic superiority; the view of China as expansionist and not democratic - as well as explaining how recent conflicting politics worked and their consequences- the weaponisation of the dollar; the shady business practices of the Chinese （local） government- and how some of the major countries in the word are likely to side in the near future。
Andy To
，
Extremely biased book。 Ignored a lot of the facts in the Hong Kong protest， and framed it as a "Housin issue"。 Really shows how little/shallow research the author has done towards the problem of China。 Extremely biased book。 Ignored a lot of the facts in the Hong Kong protest， and framed it as a "Housin issue"。 Really shows how little/shallow research the author has done towards the problem of China。 。。。more
John-Mark
，
1/5。 It is a good thing when academics of all flavors critique the United States。 This is because critique is one of the Enlightenment ideals responsible for Western Civilization。 It is however very disappointing when academics like Mahbubani do not apply discipline in their thought and speech when exercising this wonderful ideal。 This reckless failure has the capacity to cause harm—especially in today’s world of misinformation and disinformation—given the important role academics play in societ 1/5。 It is a good thing when academics of all flavors critique the United States。 This is because critique is one of the Enlightenment ideals responsible for Western Civilization。 It is however very disappointing when academics like Mahbubani do not apply discipline in their thought and speech when exercising this wonderful ideal。 This reckless failure has the capacity to cause harm—especially in today’s world of misinformation and disinformation—given the important role academics play in society， and the reverence academics rightfully enjoy。 I have two main problems with this book。 The book is problematic because of two simple reasons which should only be permitted to students without a secondary education。 So it is shocking that someone of Mahbunabi’s stature made such errors。 The first problem is that Mahbubani bundles lots of facts and premises， many of which are often accurate but still reaches flawed conclusions。The second is that Mahbubani in many instances compares the conduct of both the United States and China without deep thinking。 One could call this comparing apples and oranges to also reach flawed conclusions， and false charges against the United States。Again， any super-power should be critiqued！ But that critique should be based on truth and critical thinking， and devoid of exaggerations or blatant lies。 。。。more
Donn Urban
，
Not an easy read， but a pretty interesting book。 I don’t agree with everything he writes， but it is certainly food for thought。One of his main premises is that China is not interested in forcing Communism down anyone’s throats， indeed they are not interested in imperialism at all。 And while they do not value human rights as we do， he maintains that they are interested in keeping control of the situation and not allowing “chaos”， even if that means suppression of whole groups of people。 They are Not an easy read， but a pretty interesting book。 I don’t agree with everything he writes， but it is certainly food for thought。One of his main premises is that China is not interested in forcing Communism down anyone’s throats， indeed they are not interested in imperialism at all。 And while they do not value human rights as we do， he maintains that they are interested in keeping control of the situation and not allowing “chaos”， even if that means suppression of whole groups of people。 They are interested in China’s prosperity， and have done a great deal to improve that， and as a result， Chinese are generally satisfied with their government and trust it to do the right thing。 Unlike America， where many people do not trust their government at all。 。。。more
Summit
，
Great book that is uncomfortable for many but mostly objective
Jake Brien
，
As an undergrad student at Texas A&M University looking at studying international diplomacy in grad school， I think this book is a must-read for anyone like me， whose interested in US-China relations， but doesn't quite have a full， big picture understanding of US-China relations。 This book does a great job at talking about assumptions and how they can influence a country's approach to diplomacy。 This book is full of great essay material， and I highly recommend it for research when writing papers As an undergrad student at Texas A&M University looking at studying international diplomacy in grad school， I think this book is a must-read for anyone like me， whose interested in US-China relations， but doesn't quite have a full， big picture understanding of US-China relations。 This book does a great job at talking about assumptions and how they can influence a country's approach to diplomacy。 This book is full of great essay material， and I highly recommend it for research when writing papers。 。。。more
Nader Rizkalla
，
A pathetic apologia for CCP and Xi Jinpong。 Obviously Mahbubani is seeking support for an important post。Sick！
Upandatom786
，
A fundamentally liberal view of geopolitics， but honestly sometimes that sort of view is useful for Marxists， to see how the other side sees the issue。 And at least Mahbubani is clear eyed as far as liberals go， probably due to his upbringing outside of the United States。
Maria
，
The book was very quick to outline the issues within American society but failed to do the same with Chinese society。 I felt that every time an important issue came up from China it was justified or made to seem less important。 Overall interesting to open my mind to how people from different places may analyze international affairs but overall biased。
Navin Gopal
，
A lot of great points to ponder for executives on the side of US companies/ organizations or those directly supporting US interests。 The presentation of facts feels like a propaganda piece though。 The book does a good job of outlining the hows and the whats that drive the dynamics in the China-US relationship。 The part that feels like this is a propaganda piece， is when he outlines the whys， where it is only outlined when it is favourable to the Chinese。
Harry Lee
，