Superpower Showdown

The inside story of the US–China trade war, “especially insightful on how the contradictory natures of Trump and Xi have impeded understanding” (The Boston Globe).

This book reveals how relations between China and the United States unraveled, darkening prospects for global peace and prosperity, told by two Wall Street Journal reporters—one a Pulitzer Prize winner based in Washington, DC, the other in Beijing—who have had more access to the decision makers in the White House and in China’s Zhongnanhai leadership compound than anyone else.

The trade battle between China and the US didn’t start with Trump and won’t end with him, argue Bob Davis and Lingling Wei. The countries have a long and fraught political and economic history, which has become more contentious in recent years—an escalation that has negatively impacted both countries’ economies and the world at large—and holds the potential for even more uncertainty and disruption.

How did this standoff happen? How much are US presidents and officials who haven’t effectively confronted or negotiated with China to blame? What role have Chinese leaders, and US business leaders who for decades acted as Beijing’s lobbyists in Washington, played in driving these tensions? Superpower Showdown is the story of a romance gone bad, based on the authors’ hundreds of interviews with government and business officials in both nations over seven years. They explain how we reached this tipping point—and look at where we could be headed.

“Essential reading for anyone concerned about America’s economic future.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

"A must-read for anyone interested in what happened between China and the United States, likely the world’s most important economic relationship.” —Forbes