ABSTRACT

Will China rule the world? Or more precisely, will the class that rules China rule the world? It’s an important distinction. The class question turns our attention to transnational capitalism, while poising the question as “China” asserts the primacy of nation-states in international relations. Most students of China take a nation-centric viewpoint, and Western observers constantly worry about the changing balance of power. But if we take the class approach to China’s global economic integration we find a transnational capitalist class with Chinese characteristics.