By All Means Necessary

by Elizabeth Economy

"In the past thirty years, China has transformed from an impoverished country where peasants comprised the largest portion of the populace, to an economic power with an expanding middle class and more megacities than anywhere else on earth. Like every other major power in modern history, China is looking outward to find the massive quantities of resources needed to maintain its economic expansion; it is now engaged in a far flung quest around the world for fuel, ores, water, and land for farming. Chinese traders and investors buy commodities, with consequences for economies, people, and the...