Kerry Brown

'Kerry Brown's Xi is the perfect primer for understanding Xi Jinping's status as China's greatest ruler since Mao and as this century's least assailable statesman' John Keay, author of China: A History'A valuable primer for anyone looking to get up to speed on Xi Jinping's rise to global power' Jeff Wasserstrom, Guardian'Offers a nuanced and thorough explanation of Xi's China and why the Communist Party, for all its flaws, has long life in it' Oliver Farry, Irish TimesAlthough Xi Jinping came to power a decade ago, he remains an enigmatic figure in the West. His priority has always been to keep Chinese society as stable as possible, steering a course through a period of astounding economic growth, while ensuring that nothing challenges the political status quo.But with unrest stirring in Hong Kong, reports of human rights abuses taking place in the Xinjiang region and, devastatingly, the outbreak of a virus that would change the world, suddenly understanding Xi's China is more important than ever before.In this short and timely book, academic and author Kerry Brown examines the complexities behind the man, explaining the impact that his rule is already having on the West. But who is Xi really, and what is his vision for China's future? And, crucially, what does that mean for the rest of the world?

Mao Zedong lived one of the most epic and influential lives of the twentieth century. His impact on the People’s Republic of China was vast. Half a century after his passing, he remains a divisive and controversial figure. This book gives an accessible narrative of his life, from the fall of the Qing dynasty in the early part of the twentieth century to the long years in which he struggled not only to ensure the Communist Party of China survived but that it then came to power after a civil war with the nationalists. Mao's tragic failures as ruler were some of the worst to ever befall a modern society, while his personal life remains a source of intense interest. Clear-eyed and non-partisan, this is the first accessible biography of Mao to appear in English for some time.

The fourth edition of this concise textbook offers students a comprehensive introduction to the politics, economy, culture and society of modern China, while grounding all of these areas in the context of China’s recent history in the 19th and 20th centuries. Fully up to date, this accessible text examines key developments that are shaping China's place in the world today, including the Xi Jinping era, a complete update on the position of Hong Kong, international relations with the US and Latin America, and Chinese outward investment and financial internationalisation. Authored by a highly-regarded expert on the topic, the book is an ideal introductory text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on China studies and contemporary China, regardless of whether students approach the topic from a political, historical, sociological, cultural or geographical viewpoint. It can also be used on modules focussing more specifically on Chinese politics, Chinese history or Chinese society. New to this edition: - Coverage of the pandemic and recent protests - A brand new chapter on China's environmental challenges - Attention to the management of Xinjiang - Full updates on the impact of the Russia–Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East

The fourth edition of this concise textbook offers students a comprehensive introduction to the politics, economy, culture and society of modern China, while grounding all of these areas in the context of China’s recent history in the 19th and 20th centuries. Fully up to date, this accessible text examines key developments that are shaping China's place in the world today, including the Xi Jinping era, a complete update on the position of Hong Kong, international relations with the US and Latin America, and Chinese outward investment and financial internationalisation. Authored by a highly-regarded expert on the topic, the book is an ideal introductory text for undergraduate and postgraduate courses on China studies and contemporary China, regardless of whether students approach the topic from a political, historical, sociological, cultural or geographical viewpoint. It can also be used on modules focussing more specifically on Chinese politics, Chinese history or Chinese society. New to this edition: - Coverage of the pandemic and recent protests - A brand new chapter on China's environmental challenges - Attention to the management of Xinjiang - Full updates on the impact of the Russia–Ukraine war and the conflict in the Middle East

An urgent, indispensable guide to why Taiwan matters – for China, the West and everyone’s future'An erudite primer . . . Brown's mission to educate westerners about Taiwan and why it matters is a critical one, which makes this book well worth reading' SUNDAY TIMES • 'Anyone with a care to avoid a third world war – between China and the US – should read this book' JACK STRAW • ‘An authoritative primer to all things Taiwan’ BARBARA DEMICK When the bloody Chinese Civil War concluded in 1949, two Chinas were born. Mao’s Communists won and took China’s mainland; Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists fled to Taiwan island. Since then, China and Taiwan have drifted into being separate political and cultural entities.Taiwan is now a flourishing democracy and an economic success story: just one of its companies produces over 90 per cent of the semiconductors that power the world’s economy. It is a free and vibrant society. For the United States and the West, the island is a bastion of freedom against China’s assertive presence in the region. And yet China, increasingly bellicose under Xi Jinping, insists Taiwan is part of its territory and must be returned to it. Should China blockade the island and mount an invasion, it would set off a chain reaction that would pitch it against the US – escalating a regional war into a global one. Taiwan is thus a geopolitical powder keg.The Taiwan Story helps us understand how and why we’ve arrived at this dangerous moment in history. With unparalleled access to Taiwan’s political leaders and a deep understanding of the island’s history and culture, Professor Kerry Brown provides a new reading of Taiwan, its twenty-three million people, and how they navigate being caught in this frightening geopolitical standoff. This is the essential book delving into Taiwan’s unique story, buried beneath the headlines, told in an accessible, expert and urgent way.'As Brown shows so compellingly, anyone who thinks the Taiwan problem can be easily solved probably hasn't thought about it for long enough' FINANCIAL TIMES‘Kerry Brown is one of our most perceptive and accurate foreign observers of China’ JOHN SIMPSON‘Written with great knowledge, passion and insight’ MARTIN JACQUES

A vivid history of the relationship between Britain and China, from 1600 to the present The relationship between Britain and China has shaped the modern world. Chinese art, philosophy and science have had a profound effect upon British culture, while the long history of British exploitation is still bitterly remembered in China today. But how has their interaction changed over time? From the early days of the East India Company through the violence of the Opium Wars to present-day disputes over Hong Kong, Kerry Brown charts this turbulent and intriguing relationship in full. Britain has always sought to dominate China economically and politically, while China’s ideas and exports—from tea and Chinoiserie to porcelain and silk—have continued to fascinate in the west. But by the later twentieth century, the balance of power began to shift in China’s favour, with global consequences. Brown shows how these interactions changed the world order—and argues that an understanding of Britain’s relationship with China is now more vital than ever.

Kerry Brown re-examines the UK–China relationship and considers how recent seismic geopolitical events have reframed and recast the UK’s future engagement with China. At a time of heightened international insecurities and fractured global relations, the need to actively engage with China and to understand its ambitions and values, argues Kerry Brown, remains as strong as ever.

In this updated and revised edition, Kerry Brown re-examines the UK–China relationship and considers how the seismic geopolitical events of the past five years may have reframed and recast the UK’s future engagement with China. At a time of heightened international insecurities and fractured global relations, the need to actively engage with China and to understand its ambitions and values, argues Kerry Brown, remains as strong as ever.

An urgent, indispensable guide to why Taiwan matters – for China, the West and everyone’s future'An erudite primer . . . Brown's mission to educate westerners about Taiwan and why it matters is a critical one, which makes this book well worth reading' SUNDAY TIMES • 'Anyone with a care to avoid a third world war – between China and the US – should read this book' JACK STRAW • ‘An authoritative primer to all things Taiwan’ BARBARA DEMICK When the bloody Chinese Civil War concluded in 1949, two Chinas were born. Mao’s Communists won and took China’s mainland; Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalists fled to Taiwan island. Since then, China and Taiwan have drifted into being separate political and cultural entities.Taiwan is now a flourishing democracy and an economic success story: just one of its companies produces over 90 per cent of the semiconductors that power the world’s economy. It is a free and vibrant society. For the United States and the West, the island is a bastion of freedom against China’s assertive presence in the region. And yet China, increasingly bellicose under Xi Jinping, insists Taiwan is part of its territory and must be returned to it. Should China blockade the island and mount an invasion, it would set off a chain reaction that would pitch it against the US – escalating a regional war into a global one. Taiwan is thus a geopolitical powder keg.The Taiwan Story helps us understand how and why we’ve arrived at this dangerous moment in history. With unparalleled access to Taiwan’s political leaders and a deep understanding of the island’s history and culture, Professor Kerry Brown provides a new reading of Taiwan, its twenty-three million people, and how they navigate being caught in this frightening geopolitical standoff. This is the essential book delving into Taiwan’s unique story, buried beneath the headlines, told in an accessible, expert and urgent way.'As Brown shows so compellingly, anyone who thinks the Taiwan problem can be easily solved probably hasn't thought about it for long enough' FINANCIAL TIMES‘Kerry Brown is one of our most perceptive and accurate foreign observers of China’ JOHN SIMPSON‘Written with great knowledge, passion and insight’ MARTIN JACQUES

From Africa to the Arctic, Central Asia and beyond, China's foreign policy will affect us all. Here, noted China expert Kerry Brown guides us through China's foreign policy, from its skirmishes with US Navy destroyers in the South China Sea to its arguments with Japan over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands and its increased displays of military prowess - including huge investments in cyber warfare. Brown also assesses China's extraordinary plan to create a `New Silk Road' across Central Asia - one of the biggest infrastructure projects in modern history. In doing so he seeks to answer a simple question: what does China want? The answer lies in the unique way China thinks about the world. A comprehensive analysis by one of the world's most recognized and respected authorities, and based upon unparalleled research into Chinese leaders, their beliefs and their instincts, China's World is an essential read.

A vivid history of the relationship between Britain and China, from 1600 to the present The relationship between Britain and China has shaped the modern world. Chinese art, philosophy and science have had a profound effect upon British culture, while the long history of British exploitation is still bitterly remembered in China today. But how has their interaction changed over time? From the early days of the East India Company through the violence of the Opium Wars to present-day disputes over Hong Kong, Kerry Brown charts this turbulent and intriguing relationship in full. Britain has always sought to dominate China economically and politically, while China’s ideas and exports—from tea and Chinoiserie to porcelain and silk—have continued to fascinate in the west. But by the later twentieth century, the balance of power began to shift in China’s favour, with global consequences. Brown shows how these interactions changed the world order—and argues that an understanding of Britain’s relationship with China is now more vital than ever.

Is the West prepared for a world where power is shared with China? A world in which China asserts the same level of global leadership that the USA currently assumes? And can we learn to embrace Chinese political culture, as China learned to embrace ours?Here, one of the world's leading voices on China, Kerry Brown, takes us past the tired cliches and inside the Chinese leadership - as they lay out a roadmap for working in a world in which China shares dominance with the West.From how, and why, China as a dominant superpower has been inevitable for many years, to how the attempts to fight the old battles are over, Brown digs deeper into the problematic nature of China’s current situation - its treatment of dissent, of Xinjiang, Hong Kong, and the severe limitations on its management of relations with other cultures and values. These issues impact the way the West sees China, China sees the West, and how both see themselves.There are obstacles to the West accepting a more prominent place for China in the world – but just because this will be a difficult process does not mean that it should not happen. As Kerry Brown writes: history is indeed ending, but not how the West thought it would.

Xi Jinping's China is powerful, aggressive and single-minded and this book will become a must-read for the Western world.China has become the powerhouse of the world economy, its incredible boom overseen by the elite members of the secretive and all-powerful communist party. But since the election of Xi Jinping as General Secretary, life at the top in China has changed. Under the guise of a corruption crackdown, which has seen his rivals imprisoned, Xi Jinping has been quietly building one of the most powerful leaderships modern China has ever seen. In CEO China, the noted China expert Kerry Brown reveals the hidden story of the rise of the man dubbed the 'Chinese Godfather'. Brown investigates his relationship with his revolutionary father, who was expelled by Mao during the Cultural Revolution, his business dealings and allegiances in China's regional power struggles and his role in the internal battle raging between the old men of the Deng era and the new super-rich 'princelings'. Xi Jinping's China is powerful, aggressive and single-minded and this book will become a must-read for the Western world.

Taiwan: a place with its own flag, currency, government and military, but which most of the world does not recognise as a sovereign country. An island that China regards as a ‘rebellious province’, but which has managed to survive defiantly for decades. Now with its neighbour China a major power on the world stage and ally United States looking increasingly inward, Taiwan’s position has never been more precarious.Kerry Brown and Kalley Wu Tzu-hui reveal how the island’s shifting fortunes have been shaped by centuries of conquest and by a cast of dynamic characters, by Cold War intrigue and the rise of its neighbour as a global power, explaining how this tiny island, caught between the agendas of two superpowers, is attempting to find its place in a rapidly changing world order.

China Through European Eyes provides a reader's perspective on the conceptualisation of China by Europeans over the last 800 years. With annotated excerpts of their key China related writings by influential figures such as Voltaire, Ricci, Leibniz, Montesquieu, Marx, Weber, Hegel, Barthes and Kristeva, this collection brings together the visions and ideas of individuals who had a unique impact upon European culture. The views within range wildly as the authors wrestle with what sense to make of China's cultural and social difference to their lives in the West, conceptualising China as a place of threat, otherness, exoticism, but also inspiration.This important selection allows for comparison of perspectives across different times in Europe, allowing readers to map out continuities and evolutions of attitudes towards China. It shows that contemporary European attitudes towards China have deep roots. With an extensive introduction, full bibliography and widespread annotations on original texts, this book will be of interest to anyone engaged with the role of China in the world today, particularly those interested in how the crucial relationship between China and Europe developed over time.Related Link(s)

Renowned Sinologist Kerry Brown recounts his time doing business and diplomacy in five of China's key cities. His account a light, insightful alternative to today's doom-laden tomes and thinkpieces charts the social transformation of a rising power. Through wit, anecdote and analysis, Brown seeks to render China 'knowable' to his readers.

Taiwan: a place with its own flag, currency, government and military, but which most of the world does not recognise as a sovereign country. An island that China regards as a ‘rebellious province’, but which has managed to survive defiantly for decades. Now with its neighbour China a major power on the world stage and ally United States looking increasingly inward, Taiwan’s position has never been more precarious. Kerry Brown and Kalley Wu Tzu-hui reveal how the island’s shifting fortunes have been shaped by centuries of conquest and by a cast of dynamic characters, by Cold War intrigue and the rise of its neighbour as a global power, explaining how this tiny island, caught between the agendas of two superpowers, is attempting to find its place in a rapidly changing world order.

China is poised to become the world's largest economy in the next decade. But its great struggle to modernise has been one of tragedy, conflict, and challenge. From the first attempts to introduce Western ideas into the country two centuries ago, China's long march to global primacy has been above all an epic fight to renew an ancient country and culture. Leading Sinologist Kerry Brown traces this quest for renewal through the major moments of China’s modern history. Taking the reader on a journey that includes war, revolution, famine and finally regeneration, he describes concisely and authoritatively where China has come from, and where it is heading as it achieves great power status. This is a story that is no longer just about China, but concerns the rest of the world.

China is poised to become the world's largest economy in the next decade. But its great struggle to modernise has been one of tragedy, conflict, and challenge. From the first attempts to introduce Western ideas into the country two centuries ago, China's long march to global primacy has been above all an epic fight to renew an ancient country and culture. Leading Sinologist Kerry Brown traces this quest for renewal through the major moments of China’s modern history. Taking the reader on a journey that includes war, revolution, famine and finally regeneration, he describes concisely and authoritatively where China has come from, and where it is heading as it achieves great power status. This is a story that is no longer just about China, but concerns the rest of the world.