Beijing Steps Out of the Shadows

The Contest of the Century

As Beijing bureau chief for the Financial Times, Geoff Dyer watched China begin to wield its power not just for domestic economic growth but to expand its geopolitical reach around the globe. Dyer visits Zócalo to ask whether China is destined to unseat the U.S. in a new world order. Below is an excerpt from his book, The Contest of the Century: The New Era of Competition with China–and How America Can Win.

Beijing was in a state of heightened anxiety and had been for weeks. Each day in the run-up …