Jeff Hirsh Read: December 2021
Inspiration: What is China’s strategy in competition with the US?
Summary
Written with the help of ChatGPT, below is a brief summary to understand what is covered in the book.
“The Hundred-Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower”, published in 2015 by author and former foreign policy advisor for multiple US presidents Michael Pillsbury, examines China’s rise as a global power and argues that it has a long-term plan to supplant the United States as the dominant global superpower. Pillsbury discusses the history of China’s relations with the United States and the ways in which China has sought to modernize and strengthen its military and economic power. He also explores the ways in which China has used its economic and diplomatic power to advance its interests around the world. Pillsbury argues that the United States must be aware of China’s long-term strategy and take steps to protect its own interests in order to maintain its position as a global leader. The book offers a thought-provoking and unique perspective on China’s rise and its implications for the United States and the world.
Unedited Notes
Direct from my original book log, below are my unedited notes (abbreviations and misspellings included) to show how I take notes as I read.
Repeated predictions of a weak china wrong (perpetuated by china in past at times to get what want), americans tend to think engaging with china equals cooperation but china not want to be like US, china 100 year marathon is plan to overtake US and avenge past humiliations (started with Mao and beginning of US rel’ship), china focus on deceit, american institutions like to convey china as peaceful rise focused on econ growth but china want to go back to 300 years ago dominance, start with Mao 1949, china focused on buying time and using america’s strengths against it—have US see rise as peaceful, china and Xi draw on Warring States period more than Confucius—induce complacency, manipulate, patience, steal tech/ideas, don’t let self be deceived, never ask the weight of the emperor’s cauldrons—do not reveal rival til max opportunity, Nixon engagement with China based on wrong interpretations of Mandarin (interpret china view of US less contentiously), China leverage US fear of Soviets in 80s with Reagan to extract tech, military, etc from US (china make selves appear peaceful/innocent, make US do work for itself to advance tech/economy), Reagan and Bush keep progressing with China—internal confirmation bias to trust china, Clinton turn harder stance but china work to tilt cabinet in favor, china rewrite textbooks 1990 and post CW to portray US as evil—fear US when soviets fall (rewrite history of relationship by hawks in china), portray Roosevelt in 30s as designing japan vs china fight, nixon as wanting open relations to fuel china vs soviets—all to keep china down, blame soviet collapse on US deception not communism failure, china teaches 1844 John Tyler as start of US evil and Lincoln continue, china runs a huge PR operation to disguise its agenda (conceal ambitions), big risk of war due to simple misunderstanding as china holds deep suspicions of US intentions, china use lending to exert influence, use telecom infastructure too—helped taliban, al qaeda, saddam, know what opponent is trying to make you think of their nature—don’t take appearance at face value
