Customer Reviews
China Shakes World (Hardback) - By: Spider Monkey, 02 Feb 2008 
'China Shakes The World' is a thoroughly engrossing look at China's economy & how it affects the rest of the world. Kynge's style is very fluid & easy to read & after only a few pages you are unable to stop reading. Due to living there for many years Kynge is able to infuse the various stories with personal insight & you get a good feel for many of the issues explored. Some parts of this book were pretty shocking & makes you realise just how exploited Chinese workers are. You are also left realising how interdependent the world is now & any prosperity or decline in China will have a massive impact worldwide. This book didn't have a happy ending (if you know what I mean), some political books I've read explore the issues, but finish saying how things may be turned around, but this book tended not to do that. Never-the-less, the journey to get to the end was so interesting sand insightful, I'll forgive the slightly sombre finish. Well worth a read for a deeper understanding of the Chinese economy. If you'd like to learn more about Chinese culture & society in general I recommend 'China Friend or Foe?' by Hugo de Burgh.
China Shakes The World - By: Spider Monkey, 02 Feb 2008 'China Shakes The World' is a thoroughly engrossing look at China's economy & how it affects the rest of the world. Kynge's style is very fluid & easy to read & after only a few pages you are unable to stop reading. Due to living there for many years Kynge is able to infuse the various stories with personal insight & you get a good feel for many of the issues explored. Some parts of this book were pretty shocking & makes you realise just how exploited Chinese workers are. You are also left realising how interdependent the world is now & any prosperity or decline in China will have a massive impact worldwide. This book didn't have a happy ending (if you know what I mean), some political books I've read explore the issues, but finish saying how things may be turned around, but this book tended not to do that. Never-the-less, the journey to get to the end was so interesting sand insightful, I'll forgive the slightly sombre finish. Well worth a read for a deeper understanding of the Chinese economy. If you'd like to learn more about Chinese culture & society in general I recommend 'China Friend or Foe?' by Hugo de Burgh.
First Class - By: John Brewer, 23 Jan 2008 Most insightful - this book reminds me of Bill Overholt's "Rise of China" written in the 1990s. Kynge pulls together the key threads from a hugely complex & multi-dimensional tapestry, explaining the impact of Deng's reform initiatives on places as far away as Rockford, Dortmund & Chiasso. In analysing prospects for the future USA-China relationship, his conclusion is on the nail as far as China is concerned. But what of the USA?
An enormous shift in geopolitical power - By: Luc REYNAERT, 08 Oct 2007 James Kynge analyzes & illustrates brilliantly the emergence of China as a major geopolitical power. He shows that the drastic shift in economic policies under Deng came from rural farmers who used creatively the concept `collective' to found private capitalist companies. The result is now a schizophrenic one party communist State wit a capitalist economy. Its social stability can only be maintained with fast economic growth & job creation for its enormous population created by Mao's demographic policy.
The actual industrialization process causes massive population & gender shifts (urbanization resulting in a higher status for women), colossal energy demands (one Italy every year) & huge environmental problems (water, air). In a one party State, corruption & nepotism (with stolen identities) cannot be eradicated & provoke a declining trust in government.
Economicallly, corporations are mainly concerned with market share, not profits. They continue to (over) produce for the next surge in demand after every dip. They are also beginning to build consumer loyalty by branding their own products.
Internationallly, the Chinese voracity created energy & commodities price surges worldwide. The end is not in sight. On the other hand, the bulk of the profits made with China's low cost factory army (no welfare) goes into the pockets of Western retail giants & their shareholders, leaving only 10 to 15 % for their Chinese counterparts. In the meantime, the deindustrialization of the Western world continues with massive job losses in the textile, car, computer & even the service industry.
Overalll, however, China's economic development continues to benefit enormously world trade, notwithstanding the regularly surfacing accusations of protectionism, currency manipulation & rampant piracy. Politicallly, the problem of Taiwan is still not solved.
Mencius''ren' (benevolence) is not a basic ingredient of Chinese foreign policy, but the author believes that ultimately pragmatism & flexibility will have the upper hand.
This book is a must read for alll those who want to understand the world we live in.
nice journalistic reports - By: JHH-biz executive, 13 Aug 2007 
Mr. Kynge knows well on how to tell moving stories about China. This book makes a good read. On the issue side, he has done a weak job. That is, he is short in identifying the key forces that have been moving China forward in this era, much less about what is inside the real world of Chinese politics & business. But he should not be blamed for the shortcomings as China has been closed to the outside world for too long, not to mention that the nation has a long, unique tradition & history. Maybe some other books by insiders should help: 1. China & the new world order; 2. China's global reach - both are written by a Chinese consultant George Zhibin Gu.
