This book sets out to unravel and explain the puzzle of the global rise of China: how, in just forty years, China has been quickly transformed from a poor, backward third-world country to one of the world’s core economic powerhouses. Exactly how did this Chinese developmental miracle happen? Focusing on the key historical turning point in China’s post-socialist development, the book examines the complex processes through which China interacted with the global neoliberal project of the late twentieth century. Alvin Y. So and Yin-Wah Chu reveal the centrality of the communist party-state in propelling China onto the world scene, and how it has successfully responded to the developmental challenges of technological upgrading, environmental degradation, inter-state rivalry, and maintaining its power.

This book provides a comprehensive and insightful study of the rise of China not solely from an economic, social, and political perspective, but also from a global and historical perspective. It will be an invaluable guide for students and non-specialists interested in post-socialist development and the global rise of China in the twenty-first century.

Review

"A comprehensive assessment of "where China stands today" in terms of technological innovation, the resilience of Communist Party rule, and debates about environmental sustainability and global hegemony. A wonderful book for a broad audience!"David Smith, University of California Irvine"So and Chu are keen observers of China’s economy and society. In The Global Rise of China they capture the drama of China’s rise and inject a powerful new concept into the China debate: ‘state neoliberalism.

’ All future writing on China’s economy and society will have to grapple with So and Chu’s approach. Essential reading for sociologists, political scientists, and sinologists of all ideological persuasions."Salvatore Babones, Sydney University"With considerable analytical rigor and clarity in exposition, So and Chu delineate the role of the Chinese party-state in the dramatic rise of China from a poor ‘third world’ state to an economic and political super-power in less than four decades. This compelling narrative will be an indispensable text for upper-level undergraduate and graduate classes on China, East Asia, and development studies courses."Ravi Palat, Binghamton University"In exploring the phenomenal economic transformation of China, Alvin Y. So and Yin-wah Chu provide a 'state-centered explanation' when they argue that the 'communist party-state' released or constrained marketisation by means of ‘state neoliberalism’ […]. Despite this, unlike many other commentators, the authors emphasise the continuities with the Great Leap Forward and other periods of socialist experimentation."Journal of Contemporary Asia