Empowering China
Half a Century Since Nixon’s Opening to China
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Beschreibung
During his first trip to China in February 1972, President Nixon wrote in his diary: "We will one day be confronted, if our relations turn sour, with the most formidable enemy that has ever existed in the world." Despite this prescient observation, Nixon prioritized pressing short-term objectives: extracting the United States from the Vietnam War—crucial for securing his reelection—and counterbalancing the Soviet Union. Reflecting on Nixon’s foresight, Eugenio Bregolat questions the long-term wisdom of his opening to China. He examines the policies of Nixon’s successors, including President Clinton’s pivotal decision to support China’s admission into the World Trade Organization. Without American assistance, Bregolat argues, China’s rise would have been far less meteoric
Bregolat also critiques the dysfunctions of the American political system and, drawing on his extensive experience, offers fresh insights into the evolving dynamics of China, Russia, and the global order. In the epilogue, he presents a European perspective on the balance of power between China and the United States and explores the future of Europe. He contends that for the European Union to emerge as a true global power, it must achieve political unity. One by one, even the largest European nations will remain minor players on the world stage. For Europe, he asserts, this is the existential question: to be or not to be.
The book features a foreword by Javier Solana, former Secretary General of NATO and the first High Representative for the European Union’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.
Eugenio Bregolat, a retired Spanish diplomat, brings unparalleled expertise to these topics. Over 26 years, he served as Spanish Ambassador to China on three separate occasions, as well as to Russia. He also led the International Department for two Spanish Prime Ministers. Bregolat is the author of “The Second Chinese Revolution” (Palgrave Macmillan, 2015).
The author enjoyed the exorbitant privilege of serving three times as Ambassador of Spain to China over a period of 25 years,between 1987 and 2013. He wondered about the US decisive role in empowering China,This book is the result of his review.
The book starts with an in-depth analysis of China´s exponential economic development since 1978, adding a reflection on economic power as the crucial underpinning of military and geopolitical might.
It underlines that when Nixon first visited China, in February 1972, he and Kissinger already understood that China would become a great power in a few decades and the ensuing risk "to be confronted, if our relations turn sour, with the most formidable enemy that has ever existed". The anticipated risk was taken to achieve short term benefits. Assessing the wisdom of this decision is the thrust of the book. Eight reasons are listed which might have given Nixon and Kissinger second thoughts when they decided to engage China.
The contributions of the different US Presidents to the engagement and later containment of China are analyzed. A chapter is devoted to "Unfulfilled prophecies": China and democracy, and the elusive collapse of the Chinese economy.
A European epilogue deals with the triangular relationship Europe - US - China. Will Europe be able to reach political union, engineering a renaissance from the ashes of 1945 and becoming again a great power? It is the existential question: to be or not to be.
“The book also features a foreword by Javier Solana, former Secretary General of NATO and High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union.”
In 1972 Nixon and Kissinger were already convinced China might become "the most formidable enemy that has ever existed" They prioritized short-term interests.Was this a failure of geopolitical due diligence?This is the thrust of the book Did the suicidal world wars signal the end of Europe,or will it revive?It is the existential question:to be or not to be
Autor*in
Eugenio Bregolat
Themen in »Empowering China«
Richard Nixon American Foreign Policy Economic Development Political Development US-China Relations Henry Kissinger Bill Clinton WTO NATO Economic Growth Democracy Russia Statesmanship Europe
Stimmen zu »Empowering China«
“Empowering China is far more than a study of contemporary international relations; it is a meditation on power, perception, and the human factors behind global politics. Written with the clarity of a diplomat and the depth of a scholar, Bregolat's work bridges the worlds of policy analysis and intellectual reflection. It speaks to readers who wish to understand not only China 's reemergence but also the choices—sometimes deliberate, sometimes inadvertent—that have shaped the world we inhabit today.” (David Gosset, China-Europe-America Global Initiative, ceaglobalinitiative.com, November 3, 2025)
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