China-watching is not the realm of intelligence agencies alone; diplomats, journalists, and scholars, among others, also play an important part. Although global attention has been focused on conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East, perhaps nowhere is there a greater potential for serious conflict between the major powers than in the Indo-Pacific. China-watching plays a vital role, yet until now, except for China-watchers themselves, there has been little appreciation of who is undertaking this work, why, where, and what shapes the perspectives of China-watchers and hence the information they present.
Augmented by oral history interviews with China-watchers, this meticulous multi-method study illuminates how the scrutiny of China has evolved over the decades. Greater substance is given by chapters exploring the work undertaken by China-watchers in the Global South. The result is an intriguing study that raises important issues about the enduring interactions between politics and the knowledge about China being produced.
Julie Yu-Wen Chen (BA, National Taiwan University; MA, Leiden University; PhD, University of Konstanz) is Professor of Chinese Studies at Department of Cultures at the University of Helsinki in Finland and visiting professor at the Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University in Thailand.
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