As China entered the twenty-first century, it had undergone one of the most remarkable and rapid successions of economic, social, and cultural changes in world history. Its rise as a global manufacturing powerhouse and a regional power with an increasingly influential voice in the world has led some observers to pronounce the twenty-first century to be “China’s Century.”

But many experts warn that problems of mass unemployment, corruption, an absence of political reform, environmental degradation and an unchecked HIV/AIDS crisis could seriously threaten China’s future prospects. There has never been a more crucial time for Americans to be informed about China and how its transformation will affect the world.

China’s Global Rise provides an opportunity to discuss and educate students and community members about China’s transformations and current challenges.