Has China Won? – Kishore Mahbubani

Brief Description of the Book

Has China Won? The Chinese Challenge to American Primacy presents an Asian, non-Western perspective on global power shifts. Mahbubani argues that China’s rise is not accidental but the result of strategic patience, meritocratic governance, long-term planning, and learning from Western successes and failures. The book does not claim China has already won, but asks whether the United States is mismanaging its relative decline by abandoning pragmatism for ideology.
For OPSC, this book is highly valuable for GS-2 International Relations, India–China relations, multipolar world, global governance, and Essay, especially when answers need balance between Western and Asian viewpoints.

The following extracts may be used in OPSC answer writing:

“China has not won, but the United States is making it easier for China to win.”→ GS-2 IR / Essay: Strategic missteps, relative decline, self-inflicted erosion of leadership

“The biggest geopolitical contest of the 21st century is between the United States and China.”→ GS-2 IR: US–China rivalry, bipolar tendencies in a multipolar world

“China succeeded not by rejecting globalisation, but by mastering it.”→ GS-2 IR / GS-3: Integration into global economy, trade-led growth, strategic openness

“The West underestimated China’s capacity to learn.”→ GS-2 IR / Essay: Adaptive governance, policy learning, strategic pragmatism

“China plays the long game.”→ GS-2 IR: Long-term strategic planning, patience in foreign policy

“The Chinese political system selects leaders through performance, not popularity.”→ GS-2 IR / Essay: Meritocracy vs electoral democracy

“America’s greatest strength was its ability to attract talent from the world.”→ GS-2 IR / Essay: Soft power, immigration, innovation ecosystems

“The greatest danger to American primacy comes from internal dysfunction.”→ GS-2 IR / Essay: Polarisation, governance deficits, domestic foundations of power

“Geopolitics today is as much about competence as about power.”→ GS-2 IR: State capacity, governance quality in global competition

“China does not seek to overthrow the international system; it seeks to lead it.”→ GS-2 IR / Essay: Reformist vs revisionist power debate

“Western discourse often confuses values with interests.”→ GS-2 IR / GS-4: Values–interests tension in foreign policy

“The world is moving towards a multipolar balance with Asian influence at its core.”→ GS-2 IR / Essay: Multipolarity, Asian century narrative