The Republican Party and the Rise of China

How an American political party helped create modern China.

No man – or country – is an island, and China’s emergence over the past two centuries was not solely the product of internal actions. In this ground-breaking study, David Petriello argues that out of all of the catalyzing influences in the creation of modern China, none was more vital than the Republican Party. From the 1780s to today, the various incarnations of this American political party has worked to create the conditions that allowed for China to once again become a world power.

“Dr. Petriello’s book is a fascinating and groundbreaking look into Sino-American relations. His approach follows a heretofore unexplored avenue in interactions between the great nations. By presenting the Republican Party as one of the catalyzing forces in the modernization of China, he both challenges popular notions and compels the reader to rethink old arguments. This is a work of historical analysis that sheds a much-needed, new light on one of the most important bilateral relationships in the modern world.” — Heather Perna-LaCognata

“A brandnew look into the history of U.S.–China relations. Subversively intriguing (or subversive and intriguing).” — Dr. Zhang Zhexin, Research Fellow at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies (SIIS)