Summary of Henry Kissinger's On China

By IRB Media

Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book.

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#1 The Chinese have a paradox of their origins. They believe that they are eternal, and that their civilization has no beginning. They believe that they have always been living in the same stage of advancement as in the present day.

#2 Chinese history is filled with periods of civil war, interregnum, and chaos. But each period of disunity was viewed as an aberration, and each new dynasty reached back to the previous dynasty’s principles of governance in order to reestablish continuity.

#3 China was never required to deal with other countries or civilizations of comparable size and sophistication. The Chinese Empire never attempted to conquer any foreign countries, and when the Mongol Dynasty collapsed, the expeditions to Japan were never again attempted.

#4 The Chinese were able to maintain their splendid isolation, and grew accustomed to the notion that China was unique. Chinese elites grew accustomed to the idea that China was a great civilization, and not just another country.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Mar 28, 2022
• ISBN: 9781669374756

IRB Media

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Insights on Henry Kissinger's On China

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 12

Insights from Chapter 13

Insights from Chapter 14

Insights from Chapter 15

Insights from Chapter 16

Insights from Chapter 17

Insights from Chapter 18

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The Chinese have a paradox of their origins. They believe that they are eternal, and that their civilization has no beginning. They believe that they have always been living in the same stage of advancement as in the present day.

#2

Chinese history is filled with periods of civil war, interregnum, and chaos. But each period of disunity was viewed as an aberration, and each new dynasty reached back to the previous dynasty’s principles of governance in order to reestablish continuity.

#3

China was never required to deal with other countries or civilizations of comparable size and sophistication. The Chinese Empire never attempted to conquer any foreign countries, and when the Mongol Dynasty collapsed, the expeditions to Japan were never again attempted.

#4

The Chinese were able to maintain their splendid isolation, and grew accustomed to the notion that China was unique. Chinese elites grew accustomed to the idea that China was a great civilization, and not just another country.

#5

China’s borders have never been exactly defined, and the Chinese have always considered themselves the center of the world. Other societies have generally paid tribute to China’s greatness.

#6

The Chinese empire was the most powerful and wealthiest state in the world, and it was believed that the most valuable possessions and intellectual achievements were to be found within China.

#7

All empires are created by force, but none can be sustained by it. Universal rule needs to convert force into obligation, or else the energies of the rulers will be exhausted in maintaining their dominance at the expense of their ability to shape the future.

#8

The Chinese philosopher Confucius believed that the key to a just and harmonious society was the Way of the just and harmonious society, which had been lost in a distant Chinese golden age. The goal was not liberation but the recovery of forgotten principles of self-restraint.

#9

China did not export its ideas, but let others come to seek them. Neighboring peoples benefited from contact with China and civilization as long as they acknowledged the suzerainty of the Chinese government.

#10

China’s approach to international affairs was not just its monumental formal pretensions, but its strategic acumen and longevity. It drew potentially hostile foreigners into relationships it could manage.

#11

The Chinese system was designed to prevent the formation of coalitions on China’s borders. The principles of barbarian management became so ingrained in Chinese official thought that when the European barbarians arrived on China’s shores in the nineteenth century, Chinese officials described their challenge as using barbarians against barbarians.

#12

The Chinese have been great practitioners of Realpolitik, and they have a different approach to strategy than the West. They believe that not every problem has a solution, and that too much emphasis on total mastery over specific events could upset the harmony of the universe.

#13

Chess is about the decisive battle, while wei qi is about the protracted campaign. In chess, the player always has the capability of the adversary in front of him, while in wei qi, the player must assess not only the pieces on the board but the reinforcements the adversary is in a position to deploy.

#14

Sun Tzu’s text on war is not romanticized like some European literature on the subject. It is a reflection on the means of building a dominant political and psychological position, such that the outcome of a conflict becomes a foregone conclusion.

#15

In the Chinese tradition, the entire strategic landscape is viewed as a single whole. Good and evil, near and far, strength and weakness, past and future are all interconnected. The best that can be accomplished is to grow into harmony with it.

#16

China’s classical sages believed that the world could never be conquered, and that the Chinese were already there, spreading their culture by example. The West had set sail to spread

Reviews for Summary of Henry Kissinger's On China

[rabirizvi · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It z like a recent history of china covering especially era of mao