Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize 2023

As seen in The Times, Sunday Times, Spectator, and on Tonight with Andrew Marr (LBC)

Under President Xi Jinping, China's global ambitions have taken a dangerous new turn. Bullying and intimidation have replaced diplomacy, and trade, investment, even big-spending tourists and students have been weaponised. Beijing has strengthened its alliance with Vladimir Putin, supporting Russia's aggression in Ukraine, and brooks no criticism of its own flagrant human rights violations against the Uyghur population in western China.

Western leaders say they don't want a cold war with China, but it's a little too late for that. Beijing is already waging a more complex, broader and more dangerous cold war than the old one with the Soviet Union. And it is intensifying.

This thought-provoking and alarming book examines this new cold war's many fronts - from Taiwan and the South China Sea to the Indian frontier, the Arctic and cyberspace. In doing so it proclaims the clear and sobering message that we must open our eyes to the reality of China's rise and its ruthless bid for global dominance.

Prizes

Short-listed for Orwell Prize for Political Writing 2023

'This well respected journalist lays out a compelling case for why successive policies towards China have been unhelpful and how we are all going to be affected more dramatically by issues emanating from the country'

'Absolutely fascinating'

'An essential read for anybody who wants to understand the foreign policy of modern-day China, and in particular the role and goals of China's leader Xi Jinping ... A fascinating book, a really good read'

'In this fascinating new book the former foreign correspondent, who's covered China for Channel 4 and NBC News, asserts that the West is already engaged in a new Cold War with Xi Jinping's regime...A fascinating, accessible guide to our new geopolitical reality'

'[A] superb book... I recommend it very highly'

'a wide-ranging, meticulous study (with) detailed scholarship and depth of deduction and contemplation'

'China's demented zero-Covid policy is no longer about health... it's about power and mass surveillance'

'The most important book I've read this year... Eye opening'

'Really, really good, a fascinating book to read. So if you are thinking of buying something for someone at Christmas, I suggest you find out more about China. Some of it is pretty scary stuff'

Ian Williams was foreign correspondent for Channel 4 News, based in Russia (1992-1995) and then Asia (1995-2006). He then joined NBC News as Asia Correspondent (2006-2015), when he was based in Bangkok and Beijing. As well as reporting from China over the last 25 years, he has also covered conflicts in the Balkans, the Middle East and Ukraine. He won an Emmy and BAFTA awards for his discovery and reporting on the Serb detention camps during the war in Bosnia. He is currently a doctoral student in the War Studies department at King's College, London, focusing on cyber issues.