The writing on the wall

The prevailing view of China is that the country is an economic juggernaut sure to become the dominant power of the 21st century. Economist Hutton warns instead that China is running up against a set of challenges from within its own system that could well derail its rise, leading to a massive shock to the global economy. The United States, he argues, must recognize that it has a vital stake in working to assure this doesn't happen. In today's highly globalized world economy, so much of the economic health of the United States rests upon China's economic growth that rather than resisting Chinese economic supremacy, the United States must build a strong relationship that will foster China's transition from an antiquated Communist state beset with profound problems to a fully modern, enlightened, and open society. Doing so will require understanding and engagement, not enmity and suspicion.--From publisher description.