The Fragility of China

Dennis Unkovic's much-needed message punctures the myth of China's inexorable ascent: Because China is a Leninist party-state it is dangerous-and doomed to inefficiencies and irrationalities that will sap its vigor.

- George F. Will, syndicated columnist




Chinese President Xi Jinping believes his country is destined to displace the United States as the world's top military and economic power. Every policy that Xi has put forth since assuming power in 2013 has been carefully crafted with this end goal in mind.

Nearly four decades of meteoric economic growth have convinced many in the West that modern China is indeed an invincible regime, and that Xi's grand plan will come to fruition. Closer examination reveals that China is not invulnerable, but in fact is far more fragile than it outwardly appears.

In this book, Dennis Unkovic coins the term MaxTrends to identify critical factors and developments that have the potential to derail Xi's aggressive ambitions for China. These MaxTrends include alarming demographic shifts, cracks in the global supply chain, an accelerating global arms race, and the Taiwan conundrum, all of which indicate that China's strength may be more illusion than reality. Unkovic warns that the world's democracies must take increasingly aggressive steps to exploit China's vulnerabilities if they hope to blunt Xi's ambitions.

Right now China and the United States find themselves competing in a tight race to the top. In today's unprecedented arena of economic, military, and political challenges, the nation that acts more quickly and prudently will win.