What is the main message of Chaos Under Heaven?

The main message of Chaos Under Heaven is an exploration of the US-China relationship and its impact on the world.

How long does it take to read Chaos Under Heaven?

The reading time for Chaos Under Heaven varies depending on the reader. However, the Blinkist summary can be read in just 15 minutes.

Who is the author of Chaos Under Heaven?

Josh Rogin is the author of Chaos Under Heaven.

Politics

Chaos Under Heaven Book Summary - Chaos Under Heaven Book explained in key points

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Chaos Under Heaven summary

Name: Chaos Under Heaven
Rating: 4.2 (60 reviews)
Author: Josh Rogin

Josh Rogin

America, China, and the Battle for the 21st Century

4.2 (60 ratings)

32 mins

Brief summary

Chaos Under Heaven by Josh Rogin sheds light on China's global ambitions and the threat it poses to democracy. It chronicles the country's aggressive stance in the South China Sea, and reminds us that it is imperative for the US to safeguard against potential attacks from China.

Topics

Socialism & Capitalist Critique US Politics

Table of Contents

Chaos Under Heaven
Summary of 9 key ideas

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Key idea 1 of 9

What’s in it for me? Get an inside peek at how the Trump administration struggled to deal with an increasingly aggressive China.

There’s an old saying among the Chinese. China – as it goes – is at the center of “all under heaven.” Certainly, in recent years, China’s growing power and influence have gotten the world’s attention. But what’s really going on there? The country’s Communist party is well-known for its secrecy and propaganda, so finding out the truth about China can be tough.

In Chaos Under Heaven, we look at the challenges that the emboldened China presented to the Trump administration. You’ll find out how the White House approached a state that has little regard for fair business practices or basic human rights, and you’ll learn how competing interests within the administration made US policy regarding China anything but straightforward.

In these blinks, you’ll learn

who the hawks and doves were inside Trump’s administration;
how China’s social credit system works; and
how millions of Americans are unwittingly investing in the Chinese military.

The Trump administration faced complex challenges in dealing with China.

In early November 2016, everyone was preparing for a Hillary Clinton win in the upcoming American election – even the Chinese government. The presidential office of Xi Jinping was expecting to face familiar politicians and a traditional diplomatic approach to things. But Donald Trump’s surprise victory meant that China suddenly had to deal with an unpredictable force of nature.

And in Washington, the incoming Trump administration quickly had to determine their approach to the powerful Asian nation, which itself had become more and more erratic.

The key message here is: The Trump administration faced complex challenges in dealing with China.

Since the days of President George H. W. Bush, who served as a chief US liaison to Beijing in the 1970s, the US has largely been supportive of China. The theory was that if the US helped China develop a robust, international economy, the country would gradually open up and become more democratic. This policy continued well into the Obama administration. But by the end of Obama’s eight-year term, the traditional approach was no longer working.

For starters, no one could foresee just how much the internet and digital technology would change the world. Over the past decade, few countries have been as aggressive in taking advantage of this technology as China. Its hackers have brazenly broken into corporate systems and stolen intellectual property.

Beijing has also forced international firms into joint ventures, which gave the Chinese even easier access to copyrighted material.

Perhaps more troubling was the dawning realization that Chinese businesses are beholden to the state. The Chinese Communist Party can easily demand that a company hand over its technology and data; entrepreneurs never say no. Beijing has no qualms about using that information to bolster China’s military and keep track of its citizens.

In other words, China’s economic growth in the internet age only made the country more nationalistic, totalitarian, and oppressive. America’s plan clearly did not work out.

As the Trump administration moved into the White House, it was going to face these fairly obvious issues – and so much more that was just out of sight.

Over the years, China and the US had become entangled both economically and ideologically. This complex relationship meant that the administration was divided. Washington struggled to speak to Beijing with a single voice.

From the start, the Trump administration was a mix of hawks and doves.

When Trump’s officials first met a Chinese diplomat in December 2016, there was plenty of confusion – on the American side of the table. Five people, all extremely senior in the White House, were representing Washington. Among them were Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner, the president’s strategist Steve Bannon, and Peter Navarro, Michael Flynn, and K. T. McFarland.

Even within this small group, there were divisions. And eventually, they led to chaos.

Xi’s trip to Mar-a-Lago marked the beginning of prolonged trade negotiations.

Throughout his four years in office, Trump, too, sent mixed messages. Shortly after winning the election, Trump accepted a congratulatory call from the president of Taiwan. This was hugely offensive to China, since Beijing sees Taiwan as a rogue province that needs to be put back under communist control.

Trump essentially validated the Taiwanese president’s standing, and that was a slap in the face to China.

The policy on China would change depending on trade negotiations.

In Trump’s eyes, Xi was like the CEO of a corporation. For a deal to happen, it helped to be friends with him. So Trump felt that he’d made progress at the Mar-a-Lago meeting, if for no other reason than – in his view – he and the Chinese leader had struck up some mutual admiration.

Others knew this was a trap. Before that meeting, members of the National Security Council had warned Trump against agreeing to strategic talks. They advised him not to accept Xi’s overtures of friendship.

In 2018 and 2019, the full extent of China’s human rights violations were coming to light.

A year after Trump’s visit to China, in 2018, much about China remained unknown to people in the US. The reason was the Communist Party’s mastery in controlling the narrative – in other words, censorship and propaganda.

For example, many people knew that China had been suppressing ethnic minority communities, such as the Tibetans. But the plight of the Uyghur people – who live in the Xinjiang region, are mostly Muslim and speak a Turkic dialect – remained obscured for years.

China has a well-organized system of international influence.

These days, China’s influence extends far beyond its borders. Just how deeply entrenched that influence had become was another topic that many people were only starting to wake up to during Trump’s presidency.

The goal of the Chinese Communist Party is really quite straightforward. It wants to become stronger and more influential around the world. And it seems that it will do almost anything to achieve this goal.

As China’s aggression increased throughout 2019, little effort was made to rein in its growing power.

By the start of 2019, the extent of China’s misdeeds both at home and abroad was becoming more apparent and ever-harder to ignore. With Trump’s trade deal remaining a pipe dream, even Vice President Mike Pence was starting to speak out publicly against China’s aggression.

In an October 2018 speech, Pence called out Beijing's United Work Front activities, which we discussed in the previous blink. He even mentioned how China had planted anti-Trump articles in some American newspapers. Reporters were quick to take this as a sign that the US and China were gearing up for a new round of the Cold War.

The early days of the COVID pandemic offered another example of how the Chinese Communist Party suppresses information.

2020 began with good news for Trump. In January, after three years of ups and downs, a tentative trade agreement was struck. It became known as the Phase One trade deal, and while it was very general, China and the US managed to sell it as a grand finale to what had started to seem like an endless trade war.

But the goodwill from this deal soon turned sour. News about a SARS-like virus emerging in China began to reach American shores.

For the US, dealing with China remains a complex issue, due in part to deep financial ties between the two countries.

As the 2020 election crept closer, Trump abandoned all pretense of an on-again, off-again friendship with Xi Jinping.

The coronavirus was devastating economies around the world. But that did not deter China from using humanitarian aid as a political lever. For example, Beijing refused to so much as send medical masks to any nation that didn’t accept its rules on Taiwan and Hong Kong.

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What is Chaos Under Heaven about?

Chaos Under Heaven (2021) brings to life the behind-the-scenes negotiations and deliberations that dictated the Trump administration’s policy toward China. America’s understanding of the inner workings of the Chinese state has changed a great deal, yet competing interests have so far led to a chaotic response as the US grapples with this foreign policy challenge.

Chaos Under Heaven Review

Chaos Under Heaven (2021) by Josh Rogin is a revealing exploration of the complicated relationship between the United States and China. Here's why this book is worth reading:

It offers a thorough examination of the geopolitical tensions and power struggles between the two countries, providing valuable insights into their impact on global affairs.
Backed by extensive research and interviews with key players, the book presents a nuanced and balanced perspective, allowing readers to form their own opinions.
The author's engaging storytelling keeps the narrative compelling and thought-provoking, bringing to life the complex dynamics that shape the international stage.

Who should read Chaos Under Heaven?

Policy wonks
News junkies
People interested in world affairs

About the Author

Josh Rogin has been writing about China, foreign policy and international politics for over fifteen years. He’s been a staff writer or contributor to such publications as Congressional Quarterly, Foreign Policy, the Daily Beast, Bloomberg View, and the Washington Post.

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