One Good Read: On China by Henry Kissinger
Welcome back to Surviving in the World (SIW), your newsletter written by students for those interested in global affairs. We always try to present select topics in global news in an easy-to-understand format.
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In today’s letter, we introduce On China, a book published in 2011 by former U.S. Secretary of State and diplomat Henry Kissinger.
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Brought to you by: Keonhee Ahn(’25), Editor-In-Chief
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Word Count: 340 / Time: 3 minute read.
Kissinger in 1972. (Source: Photograph by Yousuf Karsh)
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Who the author is: Henry Kissinger is a German-born American politician, diplomat, and geopolitical consultant who served as United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor under the presidential administration of Richard Nixon.
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As the US National Security Advisor, Kissinger was one of the first American diplomats to visit the People's Republic of China – then America's sworn enemy.
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In that period, China lacked international connections amidst the chaos of the Cultural Revolution.
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What it is about: In his seminal book On China, Kissinger offers a cultural explanation for increasing Chinese aggression against the US-led world order by drawing parallels with the Chinese game of Wei-Qi—a chess-equivalent game won by encircling the opponent—to assert that “preventing strategic encirclement” has been the guiding strategy since Communist China’s formative years.
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Why you should care: Recently, the problem in Taiwan and China’s relationship has resurfaced.
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There are many parallels drawn between Kissinger’s outline of events in On China and the status quo:
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Nancy Pelosi’s visit to Taiwan closely resembles Taiwan's then-President Lee Teng-hui, as described in the book.
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Kissinger thoroughly covers the Taiwan Strait Crises, closely resembling the current Chinese military exercises occurring near Taiwan’s territory.
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