Monthly ArchiveNovember 2011
Books newlight on 03 Nov 2011
Book review: Henry Kissinger’s On China
My review of Henry Kissinger’s On China for China Today. This was written in Chinese and later translated into English.
Author: Henry Kissinger
608 pages, hardcover
£30.00
Published by Allen Lane in the UK on 17 May 2011
HENRY Kissinger’s latest book, On China, an ambitious combination of his memoirs as a professional diplomat and his understanding of Chinese politics, culture and history, attempts to fit Chinese leaders’ strategic intentions and diplomatic approaches into a historical and cultural framework. Opening with a look into the deep past, the book discusses the important influence of Confucianism on Chinese politics, then sweeps through the rise and decline of dynasties, the foundation of the People’s Republic of China, moving on to the Korean War, Taiwan Strait crisis, the China-Indian border war, and the geopolitical challenges China faced after China-Soviet relations deteriorated. It is here, in the ninth chapter, that Henry Kissinger appears on the scene.
