In a chilling editorial published May 29th, the authoritative Chinese newspaper People’s Daily used a significant phrase after demanding the U.S. respect China’s economic interests: “don’t say I didn’t warn you.”[1] The People’s Daily has issued this warning before, such as in 1962 before China went to war with India, and in 1979 before China went to war with Vietnam. To the informed reader, there could be no mistake about it: China was signaling that it had no intentions of giving in on trade.
Chinese official pronouncements, with their interminable sloganeering, are mind-numbing to read. However, they are essential to our understanding of international relations. Few people have read them more closely than the historian and strategist Jonathan D.T. Ward. In his new book, China’s Vision of Victory, Ward combines Chinese work reports, propaganda editorials, nationalist films, and everyday conversations to present a uniquely comprehensive snapshot of China’s worldview and plans. This important book belongs on the shelf of every student of China.
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WNU Editor: I just ordered the book.
