Subversion and Seduction : China's Economic Statecraft

This book examines why China has been less effective than commonly assumed in its geoeconomic strategy. It theorizes that the success of China's economic inducements depends on the type of inducement and on the political setting of the target country, providing insights about international economic competition and the future of Chinese influence on the global stage.

China has consistently sought to wield economic clout in its quest for global geopolitical influence. Yet, as the book shows in convincing detail, this use of economic statecraft has seen varying degrees of effectiveness, with results less successful than commonly assumed.Subversion and Seduction examines the reasons why economic statecraft only works some of the time, showing that outcomes depend on both the inducement strategy and the target country''s political setting. Audrye Wong folds China''s numerous economic inducements into two strategic categories--"subversive carrots" and "legitimate seduction"--and then examines how public accountability mechanisms in recipient countries can facilitate or impede the effectiveness of such inducements. Drawing on detailed case studies, extensive field research, and a survey experiment, she diagnoses China''s setbacks in gaining geoeconomic influence, but also highlights its successes in achieving short-term transactional goals and driving wedges between and within countries. Her analysis emphasizes the important role recipient countries can play in shaping and constraining China''s influence. By developing a theory of China''s economic statecraft, the book sheds light on how and when China can use its economic might to reshape US-China relations and the international system as a whole.