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The Emperor's New Road: China and the Project of the Century by Jonathan E. Hillman M4B

“The book points up a central, unresolved paradox of China in the world...Hillman’s book is at its most beguiling when he recounts his traveller’s tales. At one point, he finds himself in Aktau, a port on the Kazakhstan side of the Caspian Sea. This is a crucial link for the BRI, a place from which cargo and people cross the huge inland sea on ships that connect Asia with Europe.”—James Kynge, Financial Times

“Jonathan Hillman’s new book offers a reality check on Beijing’s global infrastructure project . . . No mere desk-bound theoretician, he provides personal accounts of visits to key projects across Africa and Asia, struggles with bureaucracy and mutual suspicion at China’s borders, bringing all their logistics to life.”—Peter Neville-Hadley, South China Morning Post

“Hillman's book provides a nuanced view of world affairs. For policymakers, it shows the risks as well as the pluses of imperial outreach and, at the opposite extreme, head­ in-the-sands unilateralism. . . . It could be a valuable supplement to conventional textbooks on international studies. But it will be a rewarding eye-opener for anyone interested in the rise of China and its consequences for the United States and all nations.”—Walter Clemens, New York Journal of Books

“Hillman lays out the terrain of the New Silk Road, which takes in over 130 countries and pledges upwards up a trillion dollars in investment, as well as the differing perspectives of it around the world. In the process he corrects some important misconceptions and argues that Beijing is positioning itself at the center of the new world order to replace Washington.”—Alec Ash, The Wire

"Hillman takes us on a wonderfully engaging journey along China’s Belt and Road. He weaves together fresh insights from on-the-ground interviews across the Eurasian continent with fascinating historical references to provide the definitive account of this grand-scale initiative that challenges our understanding of traditional geopolitical and strategic boundaries."—Elizabeth C. Economy, author of The Third Revolution

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