Technological change is occurring in a far shorter time frame than policies are able to respond, while an increasingly borderless world challenges national sovereignty. In the meantime, information gaps continue to exist between the developed and developing world, with the potential to disenfranchise entire communities who are at the periphery of the information revolution. This publication describes how globalization and rapid technological change define the parameters of the new global information economy, presenting huge opportunities, but also exposing countries and individuals to tremendous structural change, uncertainty and risk. This is the first comprehensive scholarly examination of China's economic reforms in the telecommunications sector. It is a fascinating description of the complex Chinese process of modernization, reform, and reaction.
China is an awakening economic giant but an information-age dwarf.
Mueller and Tan examine China's torturous road to advanced information highways and provide a long-needed comprehensive volume on China's telecommunications system. This provocative, informed exploration is written for policymakers, legislators, and others seeking an overview of key global security issues accompanying this technology revolution. A graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy, Henry is completing his doctorate in public administration at the University of Southern California's Washington Center. C. Edward Peartree is with the Office of Strategic Policy and Negotiation, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs, U.S. Department of State. Until recently, he was a research associate in the CSIS Political-Military Studies Program.