China’s Integration into the Global System

China’s rapid GDP growth and increasing integration into the global economy represent a major change in the international system, but the consequences and implications of China’s newfound prominence on the world stage remain a subject of debate. In recent years, the dominant narrative of China’s transformation has emphasized China’s influence on the rest of the world and the United States’ increasing financial dependence on China. In a forthcoming book, Playing Our Game: Why China’s Rise Doesn’t Threaten the West (Oxford University Press, July 2010), Edward Steinfeld, an associate professor at MIT, challenges this view by illustrating the many ways that China’s adoption of American systems and practices is transforming China and the world.

On June 9, the John L. Thornton China Center at Brookings hosted a discussion on the implications of China’s integration into the international system. Edward Steinfeld discussed the core arguments of his book. Senior Fellow Kenneth Lieberthal, director of the China Center, moderated the discussion.

After the program, Dr. Steinfeld took audience questions.

View slides from Dr. Steinfeld’s presentation, taken from his new book, Playing Our Game: Why China’s Rise Doesn’t Threaten the West (New York: Oxford University Press, 2010) »