Beijing Rules

October 1, 2022

The West has long proclaimed that capitalism ensures democracy, but in the last two decades China has toppled that belief by achieving a flourishing capitalist state under rigid Communist Party rule. The China reporter at Axios, Allen-Ebrahimian reveals what the advent of authoritarian capitalism means for the world. With a 30,000-copy first printing.

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June 12, 2023
China uses its enormous market and financial clout to coerce foreign countries and companies into complying with its geopolitical agenda, according to this savvy debut. Allen, the China correspondent for Axios, surveys the Chinese government’s “authoritarian economic statecraft” during the Covid-19 pandemic: exploiting the world’s distraction to impose authoritarian rule on Hong Kong; demanding that Zoom, whose research-and-development operation is in China, shut down meetings involving Chinese pro-democracy dissidents; using face-mask exports to strong-arm foreign governments into praising China; and other international pressure campaigns. She sets all this amid a critique of the Western neoliberal belief that capitalism will automatically nudge China toward liberal democracy. Without countervailing incentives from their own governments, she argues, Western corporations acquiesce to Beijing’s dictates, lobby for pro-Chinese policies, and censor criticism of the Chinese government on media platforms. Allen’s elegantly written investigation blends economic history with vivid reporting on such players as Chinese spy Christine Fang, who allegedly spread Beijing’s influence by seducing California congressman Eric Swalwell and other politicians. Less cogent is her reform program, a grab bag of vague proposals including international trade regulations, diversification of supply chains, and using “algorithms to prioritize fair and fact-based content.” Still, it’s a startling and timely panorama of Chinese economic subversion.

Starred review from June 1, 2023
A penetrating study of Beijing's strategy to become the dominant global power. There was a time when Western leaders thought that engagement with China would eventually lead to that country becoming more liberal, open, and even democratic. Looking back, that view seems hopelessly na�ve. Allen, the China reporter for Axios, has been observing and writing about the country for a long time, and her book is a deep dive into how China is constantly maneuvering to expand its global influence, with an ever growing list of "core interests." The central weapon is the government's control of access to China's enormous market, which it can lock down through punitive tariffs, bureaucratic delays, or outright bans. Nearly every country in the world has felt China's heavy hand. Any Western company wanting to do business in China has to accept Beijing's censorship and avoid controversial statements. At the same time, Chinese companies are effectively under government control, propagating the official line. In an incisive analysis, Allen examines China's covert penetration of the American political system and international agencies such as the World Health Organization. She believes that Beijing has overplayed its hand and is widely seen as an arrogant bully, which gives the West the opportunity to respond at many levels. She makes a series of useful proposals, but a crucial requirement is a change in attitude in the U.S. The left and the right have a surprising amount in common on this issue and should work together instead of making narrow-minded attacks on each other. Allen has shown remarkable courage in writing this book, as the tentacles of the Beijing government are long, powerful, and patient. Hopefully, her work will find its way to policymakers in Washington, D.C., and elsewhere. A disturbing, insightful book about China's hidden, multitiered war--and how the West can fight back.

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