Part One: China's New Empire Defined The Idea of Empire Belt and Road A Galaxy Empire Land and Sea Maritime and Air Power? Empire and Communications Tencent State Capitalism Middle Classes Building Across Borders Finance Matters Part Two: Resilience, Resistance A Ruling Ideology? The Poetics of Power Chairman of Everything? Abusive Power Phantom Democracy Domestic Troubles Faraway Troubles Borderlands Ecological Civilisation Cold Peace, Hot War Further Reading Index

"An incisive, original, and detailed analysis of one of the most consequential changes of the contemporary age: the rise of China to global prominence. Unlike previous imperial systems, the authors argue, the Chinese empire of today is far more global in scope than previous imperial systems and deeply rooted in digital interconnection rather than servitude." --Anthony Giddens, Life Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, United Kingdom "An audacious and refreshing take on the emergence of a unique rising power that defies traditional, and predominantly geopolitical, definition. It presents an empire returning for its lost primacy and one that is creating its own order in the Global South through its extensive reach and application of economic and financial power, and its model of development. The book is a timely addition to the China debate and calls for a deeper understanding of the challenges beyond the typical dichotomous interpretations dominating today's discourses." --Jingdong Yuan, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute "John Keane offers a totally new perspective on China. All previous commentaries on its rise have been made out of date. Essential reading." --Jocelyn Chey, University of Sydney "An incisive, original, and detailed analysis of one of the most consequential changes of the contemporary age: the rise of China to global prominence. Unlike previous imperial systems, the authors argue, the Chinese empire of today is far more global in scope than previous imperial systems and deeply rooted in digital interconnection rather than servitude." -- Anthony Giddens, Life Fellow of King's College, Cambridge, United Kingdom "An audacious and refreshing take on the emergence of a unique rising power that defies traditional, and predominantly geopolitical, definition. It presents an empire returning from its lost primacy and one that is creating its own order in the Global South through its extensive reach and application of economic and financial power, and its model of development. The book is a timely addition to the China debate and calls for a deeper understanding of the challenges beyond the typical dichotomous interpretations dominating today's discourses." -- Jingdong Yuan, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute "China's Galaxy Empire offers a totally new perspective on China. All previous commentaries on its rise have been made out of date. Essential reading." -- Jocelyn Chey, University of Sydney "The rise of China is perhaps the greatest story of our time. Few books manage to capture so perceptively and accurately the unique nature of this rise, what it is that drives China under Xi Jinping, and the challenge all this entails for the rest of the world, as Galaxy Empire does. If you want an answer to the question 'What does China want?' read this book." -- Jorge Heine, Research Professor, Boston University, and former Chilean ambassador to China

John Keane is Professor of Politics at the University of Sydney. He is renowned globally for his creative thinking about politics, history, media, democracy, and is the author of many distinguished books including the bestselling Tom Paine: A Political Life (1995) and The Shortest History of Democracy (2022), which has so far been published in 15 languages. He has contributed to The New York Times, Al Jazeera, the Times Literary Supplement, Financial Times, The Guardian, Die Zeit, Hindustan Times, and the South China Morning Post. He was nominated for the 2021 Balzan Prize (Italy) and the Holberg Prize (Norway) for outstanding global contributions to the human sciences. Baogang He is Alfred Deakin Professor at Deakin University and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia. Professor He is widely known for his work on Chinese politics, in particular deliberative politics in China, and regionalism, international relations, federalism, and multiculturalism in Asia. His publications include essays in Science, British Journal of Political Science, Journal of Peace Research, Political Theory, Political Studies, and Perspectives on Politics. His published books include Rural Democracy in China (2007), Governing Taiwan and Tibet (2015), and the co-edited China and North Korea's Human Rights (2021).

Selling point: Frames the rise of China as a new kind of "galaxy" empire never before witnessed in human history Selling point: Explores the Belt and Road Initiative projects, state capitalism, currency arrangements, cross-border institution building, and the rapid growth of China's middle class within the context of empire Selling point: Rejects clichéd misdescriptions of China as a "big power" and explains why China defies older definitions of land, sea, and air-based empires