Sinostan

China's Inadvertent Empire

Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen

Internationally acclaimed foreign and security policy experts offer a unique perspective on China's growing influence in Central Asia
Personal accounts and in-depth conversations with senior public figures and policy makers, traders and travelers, offer a deeper understanding of the transformative effect of China's foreign policy vision on the ground
A powerful examination of one of the major geopolitical issues of our time

Sinostan

China's Inadvertent Empire

Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen

Description

Based on more than a decade's writing, research, and travel, this book offers a rare glimpse into China's expanding economic, cultural, and political power in the Eurasian heartland.

China's rise is changing the world. Much attention has been given to how China's geo-economic vision is playing out in the global economy, or how its technology is reshaping the planet, yet it is over its western borders, in Central Asia, that China's influence has been quietly expanding in a more pervasive way. It is here that you can find the first strand of Xi Jinping's grand Belt and Road Initiative, China's new Silk Road to the West. It is to the Eurasian heartland that we can look for an understanding of China's new foreign policy vision and its consequences.

In Sinostan, two acclaimed foreign policy experts recount their travels across Central Asia to keep their finger on the pulse and tell the story of China's growing influence. They interview Chinese traders in latter day Silk Road bazaars; climb remote mountain passes threatened by construction; commiserate with Afghan archaeologists charged with saving centuries-old Buddhist ruins before they are swept away by mining projects; meet with eager young Central Asians learning Mandarin; and sit with officials in all five Central Asian capitals, bearing witness to a region increasingly transformed by Beijing's presence. Their stories and experiences illustrate how China's foreign policy initiative has expressed itself on the ground, and what it means for those living both within and beyond the boundaries of its 'inadvertent empire'.

Sinostan

China's Inadvertent Empire

Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen

Sinostan

China's Inadvertent Empire

Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen

Author Information

Raffaello Pantucci, Senior Associate Fellow, Royal United Services Institute, and Alexandros Petersen, an academic, writer, and geopolitical energy specialist

Raffaello Pantucci is an internationally acclaimed foreign and security policy expert. He is a Senior Fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) in Singapore and a Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London. He has worked at influential strategic studies think tanks in London, Washington, and Shanghai, providing advice to governments, international organizations, and companies alike. He is a regular contributor to the Financial Times, New York Times, and Foreign Policy.

Alexandros Petersen was an academic, writer, and geopolitical energy expert. He published three books and over 120 articles, reports, and chapters in books, and made more than 50 media appearances internationally. Petersen addressed the implications of the West withdrawing its engagement from the Caucasus and Central Asia, the expansion of Chinese influence, and Russia's strategic interests. He taught at the American Universities of Afghanistan and Central Asia, having lived and travelled extensively across Eurasia. He was killed in a Kabul restaurant bombing and shooting attack.

Sinostan

China's Inadvertent Empire

Raffaello Pantucci and Alexandros Petersen

Reviews and Awards

"A compelling geopolitical travelogue..." - Isabel Hilton, Financial Times

"[Sinostan] is an invaluable work on a relatively obscure region and is surprisingly vivid for an academically minded text, with much fascinating detail from the authors travels across the vast region." - Oliver Farry, Irish Times

"Offers illuminating and relevant insights into the Sino-Russian relationship... The unique blend of travelogue and geopolitics, which makes for an accessible read." - George Magnus, LSE Blogs

"... Sinostan should be on the reading list of any individual who is trying to understand the China-Russia relationship in these uncertain times.... a rich and thought-provoking work." - Hugh Jones, LSE Blog

"If you want to get your head around China's foreign policy priorities, you can do worse than dedicate a few quiet hours to Sinostan..." - David Dodwell, South China Morning Post

"... an extensively researched telling of Beijings rising power in Central Asia, unvarnished by agenda or a desire to construct smooth grand narratives... the book lays out a convincing case for viewing China as a detached regional power. Central Asia may be the belt in the Belt and Road Initiative, but it is a loose fit." - Maximilian Hess, Eurasianet

"A sparkling, carefully observed account that offers an outstanding close-up view of a set of new worlds being formed out of sight of most commentators. Filled with insights and necessary reading for anyone interested in the rise of China, Central Asia and global geopolitics." - Peter Frankopan, University of Oxford, and author of The Silk Roads: The Extraordinary History that created your World

"A powerful book on a topic of huge importance." - Rana Mitter, Professor of the History and Politics of Modern China, University of Oxford