The Hundred Year Marathon: China’s Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower

By Michael Pillsbury, Hudson Institute

One of the few areas of bi-partisan agreement in Washington these days is the relationship we have with China has to change significantly.  Michael Pillsbury is a conservative hawk.  And, this book lays out the conservative view of China today. Pillsbury wasn’t always a hawk. He lays out in the book his role in the Nixon administration when the first overtures were made to China.  He notes American policy makers thought then that if China succeeded as an economy, it would open up as a society and encourage a free flow of trade and ideas.  Instead he suggests that today the “hawks” in China have taken control. Their goal: become a dominant world power or a hegemon.  What’s more is that has been their intention since the communists came to power under Mao.  He supports his claims with interviews of defectors to which he was privy.  Today the Chinese government view is that America is hostile.  It intends to dismember China and plunder its maritime resources.  Never mind our extensive business interests in China.

Our book club agreed that China has clearly not become an open society.  And, it has reinforced an authoritarian approach to government and control of their economy.  Clearly we need to build stronger alliances in the region especially with friendly countries such as Japan, Australia, India and the Southeast Asian countries. It appears to us that whichever party wins the White House, House and Senate, there will be a strong push towards defining a new long term strategy towards China.

We ended our meeting bidding a fond farewell to one of our members.  Charles Glovsky and his wife Eileen sold their place in the Esplanade and have moved to Las Vegas.  One of the silver linings of the pandemic is that we are all now familiar with Zoom. And, Charles plans to continue to participate in the club from Vegas.  We hope that continues even after the pandemic is over.

 Ash Rao