Listen free for 30 days

  • Asia's Reckoning

  • China, Japan, and the Fate of U.S. Power in the Pacific Century
  • Written by: Richard Mcgregor
  • Narrated by: Steve West
  • Length: 16 hrs and 15 mins
  • 3.8 out of 5 stars (5 ratings)

Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo + applicable taxes after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Asia's Reckoning cover art

Asia's Reckoning

Written by: Richard Mcgregor
Narrated by: Steve West
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $43.80

Buy Now for $43.80

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

A history of the combative military, diplomatic, and economic relations among China, Japan, and the United States since the 1970s - and the potential crisis that awaits them.

Richard McGregor's Asia's Reckoning is a compelling account of the widening geopolitical cracks in a region that has flourished under an American security umbrella for more than half a century. The toxic rivalry between China and Japan, two Asian giants consumed with endless history wars and ruled by entrenched political dynasties, is threatening to upend the peace underwritten by Pax Americana since World War II. Combined with Donald Trump's disdain for America's old alliances and China's own regional ambitions, East Asia is entering a new era of instability and conflict. If the United States laid the postwar foundations for modern Asia, now the anchor of the global economy, Asia's Reckoning reveals how that structure is falling apart.

With unrivaled access to archives in the United States and Asia, as well as to many of the major players in all three countries, Richard McGregor has written a tale that blends the tectonic shifts in diplomacy with bitter domestic politics and the personalities driving them. It is a story not only of an overstretched America but also of the rise and fall and rise of the great powers of Asia. The about-turn of Japan - from a colossus seemingly poised for world domination to a nation in inexorable decline in the space of two decades - has few parallels in modern history, as does the rapid rise of China - a country whose military is now larger than those of Japan, South Korea, Taiwan and Southeast Asia's combined.

The confrontational course on which China and Japan are set is no simple spat between neighbors: the United States would be involved on the side of Japan in any military conflict between the two countries. The fallout would be an economic tsunami, affecting manufacturing centers, trade routes, and political capitals on every continent. Richard McGregor's book takes us behind the headlines of his years reporting as the Financial Times' Beijing and Washington bureau chief to show how American power will stand or fall on its ability to hold its ground in Asia.

©2017 Richard McGregor (P)2017 Penguin Audio

What the critics say

"The United States, China, and Japan form the power triangle that will shape much of the international politics in the 21st century. Richard McGregor's masterful The Party illuminated one corner of that triangle - China. In this important book, he describes how the other two corners have interacted with China since World War II. Lucid, insightful, and ominous, as the author describes big trouble ahead." (Eliot Cohen, author of Supreme Command)
"McGregor distills years of meetings with high officials in China and Japan to give a vivid nuanced picture of their relations in the 21st century." (Ezra Vogel, author of Deng Xiaoping and the Transformation of China)

More from the same

What listeners say about Asia's Reckoning

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Marvellous

This book puts you at the centre of the long historical problem of Japanese-Chinese relations. A must read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!