Books: China’s influence campaigns fail to build trust

Since 2017, when Australia, New Zealand and Singapore exposed Chinese influence operations within their borders, writing about China’s influence has become something of a growth industry. Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the U.S. Council on Foreign Relations, is a pioneer of the industry.

He began writing on Chinese influence before it became fashionable, and his “Charm Offensive,” on China’s soft power, appeared in 2008, the year of the Beijing Summer Olympics, when Beijing’s international reputation was at its apogee.