About the Book: No Constraints: Chinas Global Quest for Partners and Influence
A sweeping account of Chinas global strategy from Mao to Xi, revealing its
effort to court strategic partners, outmaneuver rivals, and reshape the global
order on its own terms
Beijing wants global influence without global entanglements. That ambition is
not new—it has been decades in the making. Rather than building rigid alliances,
China has cultivated a vast and flexible web of partnerships spanning
ideological divides. These ties—with Russia, North Korea, Global South states,
and key US-aligned powers—are designed to avoid binding commitments, counter
perceived containment, and expand Beijings room for maneuver amid intensifying
great power competition.