ABOUT THE BOOK
fjrigjwwe9r0pp_Books:Description
This book, generalist in
approach, is primarily meant to give the reader a holistic and balanced view of
China.
Till recently, China
has been an enigma for most, especially Indians, because of the 1962
India-China was and consequent unhappy relations between the two neighbouring
countries. China’s
‘bamboo curtain’, its background of exclusiveness and insularity had compounded
the problem. Interest in China
has grown exponentially because of its unparalleled economic growth challenging
classical economics and its emergence as the second largest economy on the
strength of FDI generated exports. Its current status as the virtual
manufacturing capital of the world and as the main fund provider to the richest
country has intensified the interest. China’s superb performances in the 2008 Beijing
Olympics and the recent 2010 Asian Games have unequivocally announced its
emergence as a sports power. The cultural extravaganza put for their opening
and closing ceremonies provided glimpses of its glorious past and cultural power.
It has been investing heavily in Africa and some countries in South East Asia
and Europe. Recent surveys in US show that its
image ahs been improving even in countries traditionally unfriendly. The
increasing emphasis on its traditional culture, involvement in UN and its peace
keeping operations and improved image in many western countries show a rise in
its soft power. The ongoing rapid modernization of its military and strong
economy demonstrate its hard power. Most CEOs of multinational businesses expect
China
to continue as the leading edge of the recovery from recession. But, there are
many issues concerning human rights on which the democratic world is critical.
As India, now about 10-15 years behind China in terms of economic development,
is estimated, in a few years’ time, to overtake China in respect of growth of
GDP and as there are may lessons Indian can learn in an emerging scene of
‘cooperation and competition’ between the two, it is interesting to study the
emerging Chinese scenario. Basically, the author has given the facts, figures,
studies and analyses, both positive and negative, leaving the reader to make
his own value judgments, as Prof. (Dr.) M.G.S. Narayanan points out in his
Foreword.
The proceeds from the book are
dedicated to the cause of education of the Below Poverty Line children.
ABOUT Author
fjrigjwwe9r0pp_Books:aboutAuthor
Shri Mathew John is an IPS
officer who retired a few years back as DGP, Tripura. In 1967 he passed his
Mechanical engineering and later a Post-graduate Diploma in Business
Administration with Distinction. He also taught at the College
of Engineering, Trivandrum
for two year and conducted a year’s research on ‘IT enabled Police services’ in
the National Police
Academy, Hyderabad, India.
His active interests include Science and Technology, Management, International
Relations, Gardening, Plantations and various games. He is widely traveled and
has so far visited 30 countries including two visits to China. This
book is a product of the active interest he developed in knowing more about China,
its history and culture, tourism, unparalleled economic advancement over the
last thirty years averaging nearly an unprecedented 10% p.a., etc.
Capitalization on his experience in working in eight states in India and
knowledge gained from visits to virtually all
important places in the country and also remote parts and border area, and knowledge acquired about China through
visits and studies, etc., he is currently engaged in comparative data based
analysis of China and India, two emerging giants on the 21st
century.
He can be contracted at
m_kattoor@ yahoo.com