What China threat?

French sinologist, former diplomat and scholar Lionel Vairon provides much food for thought on the relationship between China and the West in his latest book, Threat of China. Its Chinese version was published this March.

Whether or not China is a threat depends on Western powers' perspective on this country's rise as an economic power.

The best way to know why someone is selling a particular idea is to find out how he or she benefits from doing so. And this is exactly what Vairon does in his analysis of why some Western politicians, particularly those in the United States, are so enthusiastic about portraying China as a long-term threat to the interests of the US or even the entire Western world.