Partners and Rivals: The Uneasy Future of China's Relationship with the United States

Dobson, a professor at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management, offers an au courant view of Sino-American relations that begins with the June 2013 meeting between Presidents Barack Obama and Xi Jinping. In a concise and readable style with a judicious use of charts and graphs to elucidate her points, Dobson argues that the United States and China must "rise above myriad ...distractions and think long term." As evidenced by her notes and bibliography, Dobson examines a broad range of the transformations that are occurring in China. For example, she looks at hukou, the household registration system that affects the use of China's shrinking labor force, and explains how modern business practices must co-exist with so-called socialist law in China, where the belief is that government is responsible "for the people" not to the people as it is in the West. Included alongside her clear discussion of the American system of politics and the economy, the analysis helps readers understand the difficulties inherent in the relations between the two countries. Her skill as a business analyst provides a level of insight that books written by political scientists often do not. (Nov.)