What an excellent overview of China’s evolution into the planet’s prime threat to peace. Williams’ obviously has an agenda, and that’s to demonstrate that the era of engagement with China is over, and the world needs to urgently move to containment. In his telling we are already in a new cold war, and the sooner the West wakes up to that fact the safer we’ll be. What’s obvious throughout is how stupidly counterproductive China’s “wolf warrior” diplomacy has been. In short order they’ve alienated most of the world against them through bullying and arrogance. How not to make friends and influence people! The book is very good on how China’s aggressive and confrontational behaviour plays out in different parts of the world, from the Himalayas to the South China Sea, but most dramatically in the Taiwan Straight. William’s thinks we’re in a similar situation to Germany’s rise before WWI. It’s all quite scary and one very much hopes that cooler heads prevail in Beijing and we’re really heading for another global conflict.