When China Rules the World, By Martin Jacques

More of a takeover than a takeaway

Martin Jacques's thesis – that China will become the dominant global power within decades, and it won't become more westernised but will make the rest of the world more Chinese – is hard to dispute, and if one felt like disputing it one would soon be discouraged by the weight of evidence in the form of statistics, graphs, surveys and analysis Jacques brings to bear.

Reading this made me aware of my ignorance – I didn't know the Chinese invented steam power before James Watt. At times I could wish the explanations crisper – Jacques repeatedly says that China is a "civilisation-state", not a nation-state, and I would love to have the difference neatly explicated. But Jacques's erudition is impressive – and persuasive.