China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Inc. : The Dynamics of a New Empire
- Book Review,
by WILLEM VAN KEMENADE
Amazon.com
With Hong Kong's reversion to Chinese rule, a new style of leadership under party chief and president Jiang Zemin, and unrivaled economic growth, China is more unpredictable than ever. In an era in which communist regimes are crumbling worldwide, China not only survives but prospers, contradicting the West's maxim that open markets inevitably lead to open societies. Given all the unknowns that surround China's future, Willem van Kemenade's China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Inc. seems a brave undertaking. Van Kemenade, a Dutch journalist specializing in Asian affairs, presents a well-documented account of the economic powerhouse forming around the combined might of the Chinese mainland (including Macao and Hong Kong) and Taiwan. Though he gives no easy answers, van Kemenade poses a lot of interesting questions, providing in the process a fascinating portrait of a nation replete with contradictions: though the central government has maintained an iron grip on Chinese politics, Chinese-style capitalism has garnered greater economic freedom from Beijing in many parts of the country. How this new independence might affect other areas such as the military is anybody's guess, although van Kemenade provides some compelling scenarios of ways in which such a situation might play out. China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Inc. is a provocative look at China on the threshold of the 21st century.
From Library Journal
In this updated and expanded version of its Dutch precursor (published in Amsterdam in 1996), Van Kemenade, a Beijing-based Dutch journalist, presents a comprehensive and detailed anatomy of three East Asian political/economic systems: China, which shifted from class struggle to economic development and repressive stability; Hong Kong, which will become a special administrative region (SAR) of China this month after 99 years of British colonial rule; and Taiwan, which was transformed from a one-party dictatorship to a multiparty democracy. To keep Hong Kong and Taiwan in the "Greater China Straitjacket," observes the author, Beijing sticks aggressively to the 1984 formula "one country?two systems," i.e., one China with socialism and laissez-faire capitalism. Van Kemenade devotes the latter part of his book to the discussion of China's special economic zones, opened to attract high-tech investments from the West. This deeply researched book will appeal to the East Asia collection of academic libraries.?Steven Lin, Dallas P.L.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
The New York Times Book Review, Orville Schell
While his account offers no unusual revelations or analyses, its careful marshalling of statistics, information and history about the complexities of China and how it is merging with the Chinese diaspora makes a useful handbook for anyone trying to fathom how China can simultaneously be the epicenter of a sustained "economic miracle" and Asia's most potentially destabilizing influence.
From Booklist
Unlike the reunification of Germany or the breakup of the Soviet Union, the reversion of Hong Kong to China taking place this month has long been scheduled and widely anticipated. Governments, political parties, companies, and individuals have been able to prepare for the sweeping changes that will take place. At the same time, however, political experts disagree on what the effects of those changes will be. Will Hong Kong's thriving capitalism or the People's Republic's vestigial Communist system predominate? And with Hong Kong now in its fold, how will China deal with Taiwan? Veteran sinologist Kemenade's expert analysis will benefit anyone looking for answers. He notes that China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan are already economically intertwined, with Taiwanese companies heavily invested in mainland industry. Kemenade also contrasts the three governments and traces the history of political and economic reforms. For 25 years he has reported on China for the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. This book is an updated translation of the Dutch version published in 1996. David Rouse
Midwest Book Review
Consider this nothing less than an essential addition for any collection on Asian affairs: it comes from one of Europe's most knowledgeable special correspondents in Beijing and provides an unusual insider's view of the three nations which considers the internal dynamics and possible consequences of their impending reunification. This in-depth analysis and clear explanation is absolutely essential for any seeking to understand the transition's history and future.
Book Description
On the eve of June 30, Hong Kong was officially passed back to China. This event will mark what Willem van Kemenade sees as the start of an increasingly problematic -- and even dangerous -- reintegration of the old Chinese empire into a new world superpower. Since the early 1980s, investment money has been pouring into China from Hong Kong and trade has escalated at a rocket's pace. A few years later, the same pattern began between China and Taiwan. The combination of Hong Kong/Taiwan management, financial and export know-how with China's inexhaustible pool of cheap labor and land has enabled China in one decade to leap from an impoverished revolutionary state to a major international trading power. This economic boom, in conjunction with the violation of intellectual property rights, systematic tax fraud, and the corruption of the police force, has helped shape the "socialist market economy," China's third way -- and a new mix of old-fashioned Soviet Communism and East Asian capitalism.The formal addition of Hong Kong will add to this mixture the democratic structures set in place by the British. And, as China moves to reclaim Taiwan (the process has already begun), it will be incorporating a rival Chinese sub-nation with a fully election-based political system and a powerful independence movement. Can such a reunified China resist the "spiritual pollution" of democratic values, human rights, and political freedom? Will it become the first depoliticized "corporatist superpower"? What are the prospects that reunification will be peaceful?Van Kemenade's portrait of the true internal power structures of the three Chinas provides our clearest look yet at the fastest-rising new empire in the world today.
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Dutch
From the Publisher
"In a time when opinion about China is going through another major shift, it is good to have a book not influenced by fashion and based on decades of direct, close scrutiny and highly informed reporting. This critical but unbiased account is distilled from a journalistic career that very few colleagues can match."
-- Karel van Wolferen, author of The Enigma of Japanese Power"No recent book matches China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Inc. in the depth of its reporting on the rise of 'Greater China.' While examining with a critical eye many of the formidable problems these Chinese systems confront, Willem van Kemenade maintains what is ultimately a positive and constructive outlook. At a time when America seems on the verge of a new China debate between 'containment doves' and 'engagement doves,' his sober and balanced perspective should help the forces of rationality."
-- Lucian W. Pye, Ford Professor Emeritus, M.I.T."Van Kemenade's experience in China and its neighbors is almost unrivaled and everything he says is interesting and often vividly told. New readers can start here and experts will learn something."
-- Jonathan Mirsky, East Asia editor, The Times (London)
From the Inside Flap
On the eve of June 30, Hong Kong was officially passed back to China. This event will mark what Willem van Kemenade sees as the start of an increasingly problematic -- and even dangerous -- reintegration of the old Chinese empire into a new world superpower. Since the early 1980s, investment money has been pouring into China from Hong Kong and trade has escalated at a rocket's pace. A few years later, the same pattern began between China and Taiwan. The combination of Hong Kong/Taiwan management, financial and export know-how with China's inexhaustible pool of cheap labor and land has enabled China in one decade to leap from an impoverished revolutionary state to a major international trading power. This economic boom, in conjunction with the violation of intellectual property rights, systematic tax fraud, and the corruption of the police force, has helped shape the "socialist market economy," China's third way -- and a new mix of old-fashioned Soviet Communism and East Asian capitalism.
The formal addition of Hong Kong will add to this mixture the democratic structures set in place by the British. And, as China moves to reclaim Taiwan (the process has already begun), it will be incorporating a rival Chinese sub-nation with a fully election-based political system and a powerful independence movement. Can such a reunified China resist the "spiritual pollution" of democratic values, human rights, and political freedom? Will it become the first depoliticized "corporatist superpower"? What are the prospects that reunification will be peaceful?
Van Kemenade's portrait of the true internal power structures of the three Chinas provides our clearest look yet at the fastest-rising new empire in the world today.
About the Author
Willem van Kemenade was born in the Netherlands in 1943. He studied history at Nijmegen University and Chinese in Taiwan and at Leiden University. Since 1977 he has been a freelance journalist and correspondent in Beijing, Jakarta, Hong Kong, and Taiwan for the major Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad. He currently lives in Beijing.
From the Hardcover edition.
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