Bob's selection is a challenging read about the strengths and weaknesses of the Xi Jinping regime in today's China. Xi has rejuvenated China with "a world-class military, a game-changing economy with world-class technology, and a global footprint that matches and perhaps even exceeds that of any other country." China has filled the void left by the US "America First" policy by expanding its influence across the globe. Xi's authoritative communist system of government and abundance of trained engineers enables China to dominate in new technologies like renewable energy, high-speed rail, and electric vehicles. On the other hand, the state operated entities are often inefficient and result in overcapacity. China excels at getting large projects done but still lacks innovation due to governmental restraints. The author states that Xi's quest for greatness remains largely unrealized due to a lack of social norms, political values, and cultural dynamism to attract large segments of the world's population.
The book is filled with acronyms, and you need a key to follow. For example, the PRC, China, has a party CCP, with a 7-man politburo PBSC, a youth group CYL, a consulting group CPPCC, security group CSRC, inspectors CCDI, tech group CAC, and finance group APPCL, not to mention a bunch of ministers MPS, MOF, MEP...working with state run companies SOE's and NGO's, using a world bank AIIB, working on the long-term trade expansion plan BRI.
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