Is China a "Large Country"? China's Influence on World Markets

The author's surprising question to the question posed in the title of this book is "no." Indeed, though China might be a large country in terms of its size and population, in trade terms it is not, and in the sense that its influence on world markets for grains and foodstuffs, energy, manufactures, and capital is slight and will continue to be so for decades to come. The book argues that those who foresee wide disruption of the world economy leading from China's growth are taking a one-sided view which is not borne out by the evidence, which is presented here. Far from organizing a policy response to any supposed threat from increased Chinese influence on markets, the author argues that "The policy implications for China's trading partners are not confrontational," but "Chinese outward-oriented growth offers an opportunity rather than a threat..."