Asia is home to 4.5 billion people, an economic powerhouse where no language, religion, or system of government prevails. China is determined to impose its autocratic worldview upon the region, putting it at odds with the United States. Going beyond the headlines and rhetoric, BBC journalist Humphrey Hawksley analyzes the causes and implication of this Indo-Pacific standoff, which threatens to become the defining conflict of the 21st century.

"A clear introduction to the subject of Chinese efforts to expand the country's sovereignty into the islands of the South China Sea…. Informative and thought provoking."—Publishers Weekly