I’ve recently returned from Asia, where I met with policy makers and business leaders from Tokyo to Beijing, Hong Kong, and Singapore.
During our discussions, I was repeatedly struck by how often the conversation would veer from economic analysis into the realm of geostrategy, especially with respect to China’s emergence as a major military power—or, as it is known in polite geopolitical circles, the peaceful rise of China.
As the most populous nation on earth, and the world’s second-largest economy, China is increasingly becoming both a concern and an opportunity for investors. (As an example of China’s influence on the global economy, a recent analysis by The Economist tied more than 10% of American multinational corporate revenue to China.)
A 4,000-year-old culture has begun to reassert itself on the world stage, and investors should arm themselves with a bit of knowledge of the powerful forces at play there. My goal is to lay a foundation for that understanding.
