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Has China Won?

The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy

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Has China Won?

By: Kishore Mahbubani
Narrated by: Aaron Abano, P.J. Ochlan
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From a former president of the United Nations Security Council, an authoritative look at the US, China, and the defining geopolitical contest of the twenty-first century.

“An excellent and important book on the biggest question in international affairs: how will the relationship between the US and China evolve?” —Martin Wolf, chief economics commentator, Financial Times

China and the United States are world powers without serious rivals. They eye each other warily across the Pacific. They vie for the allegiances of other major nations and an ever-larger share of the global GDP. They tout opposing values and ideologies. A massive geopolitical contest is underway.

Drawing on his decades of experience in diplomacy and geopolitical strategy, Kishore Mahbubani offers a bracingly honest appraisal of the strengths and weaknesses of these ambitious and eccentric superpowers—and a clear-eyed assessment of their best path forward.

Updated with a preface reassessing the US-China power struggle from the vantage point of the second Trump presidency, Has China Won? is the definitive guide to the deep fault lines between the two countries.

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Critic reviews

Praise for Has China Won?
"Americans should heed Kishore Mahbubani's astringent advice, unwelcome as it may be: Cast away illusions about eternal U.S. primacy and exceptional virtue protected by high walls. Instead, Washington should adopt a long-term international strategy anchored in balance and cooperation; reestablish sound internal leadership and governance; win friends abroad instead of driving allies away; avoid over-commitment; and express moral modesty. Military power is not the most important weapon in the Arsenal of Democracy."—David M. Lampton : Oksenberg-Rohlen Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute, Asia-Pacific Research Center, Stanford University; Professor Emeritus, Johns Hopkins-SAIS.
"China and the US are locked in a struggle for international primacy, and the result of this contest will shape the world order for generations to come. Kishore captures the complexity of this battle with the measured nuance and clear insight it deserves. Not to be missed."—Ian Bremmer, author of Us vs. Them and president, Eurasia Group
"Kishore Mahbubani's Has China Won? is a serious contribution: reviewing strategic wisdom from Kennan to Kennedy, asking provocative, even heretical questions about China's rise, and counseling a world safe for diversity."—Graham Allison, author of Destined For War: Can America and China escape Thucydides's Trap, is the Douglas Dillon Professor of Government, Harvard University
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This book contains some interesting information and facts.

However a large part of the book was spent critiquing the United States of America. Had the author done the same for China I would have viewed this as a more honest assessment of the situation. The author’s fawning of the Chinese communist party and Chinese success just left me wondering what his real motives were?

Rather one-sided!

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A really interesting appraisal of the potential futures of USA and China in the 21st century. It wasn't too thorough which for me as someone with a casual interest in this was perfect, but still had many enlightening observations. Particularly good at highlighting the ways the two nations view themselves and each other, though (admittedly, from my own Western perspective) it gave China an easy ride on some things where it's received for widespread criticism elsewhere.

Enlightening

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This book is an excellent comparison between the US and China. It’s a must read before an open minded debate about the China- US rivalry.

Excellent balanced book

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Felt that the author made China look like a saint as opposed to USA. It didnt felt like a centrist view (slightly inclined towards China) as it should have. One such example coming to mind is the 137 million Chinese traveling and coming back. this is nearly 7-8% of the population.... this doesn't represent all classes in China, just the upper-middle class and upwards

Superficial arguments inclined towards China.

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He is not an evolutionary psychologist but has written like he is one. A dominant tribe (USA) is being challenged by an up and coming tribe (China) for the title. He describes the moves the USA are making that are wise if they want to remain the champ, and what they are doing to lose the match. He does the same with China. I found his description of the lack of understanding in the West that their way to govern may be best for them but is not the best for East Asia and other parts of the world quite insightful and correct. It is one of the big mistakes the USA is making in not understanding how the Chinese form of government that the USA perceive as so evil, has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty and given China the ability to no longer be pushed around as they were during what they call their century of humiliation by foreign powers. Tribal ego on the part of both of these nations gets in the way of greater cooperation and prosperity for both; Mahbubani does an excellent job of showing that with numerous examples throughout the book. If one is interested in the tribal contest between China and the USA, what motivates both, strategies they should follow to win it,and whats in it for the rest of the world, I'd recommend you read this analysis. His perspective may be uncomfortable for some Westerners, certainly for Americans it will be, but are you looking for comfort or clarity? This book is well researched and informative, but reads quite smoothly. Mahbubani clearly has a handle on what motivates the Chinese better than other books on the subject I have read by Westerners. Lee Kuan Yew had countless conversations with Chinese leaders during their economic rise because they saw Lee as a mentor. Lee was an expert on what motivates China due to these relationships. Lee was also a mentor to Mahbubani and obviously shared his knowledge about Chinese aims with him. This book is informative because most books on this subject give us the Western perspective, this is a refreshing departure that is bringing balance to the conversation.

An East Asian perspective on this contest

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