China's Vulnerability Paradox: How the World's Largest Consumer Transformed Global Commodity Markets

China's Vulnerability Paradox explains the uneven transformations in global commodity markets resulting from China's contemporary, dramatic economic growth. At times, China displays vulnerabilities towards global commodity markets because of unequal positions of market power. Why is it that Chinese stakeholders are often unable to shape markets in their preferred direction? Why have some markets undergone fundamental changes while other similar ones did not? And how can we explain the uneven liberalization dynamics across markets? Through a series of case studies, Pascale Massot argues that the balance of market power between Chinese domestic and international market stakeholders explains their behavior as well as the likelihood of global institutional change. At a time of deepening US-China economic tensions, this book provides an alternative, granular understanding of the interacting dynamics between the political economy of Chinese and global markets.

Table of Contents:
Tables Figures Chapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Global and Chinese Commodity Markets: Taking Variation Seriously Chapter 3: Explaining Change in Global Market Institutions Chapter 4: China's Impact on the Global Iron Ore Market Chapter 5: China's Impact on the Global Potash Market Chapter 6: China's Impact on the Global Markets of Uranium and Copper Conclusion Appendix 1: Data Notes Bibliography Index

About the Author :
Pascale Massot is an assistant professor at the University of Ottawa's School of Political Studies. In 2022, she was a member of the Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs' Indo-Pacific Advisory Committee, which advised the Minister on Canada's recently published Indo-Pacific Strategy. She also served as the Senior Advisor for China and Asia in the office of various Canadian Cabinet ministers, including the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of International Trade, at different points between 2015 and 2021. Her research focuses on the global political economy of China's rise, China's impact on global commodity markets, Canada-China and Canada-Asia relations, as well as Canadian public opinion of China. Pascale Massot was the 2014-2015 Cadieux-Léger Fellow at Global Affairs Canada. She was a visiting PhD candidate at Peking University's Center for International Political Economy. She has a Ph.D. in political science from the University of British Columbia.

Review :
Pascale Massot has written a very carefully researched and conceptually innovative analysis of China's impact on commodity markets. She shows that the Chinese Communist Party's presence in the domestic economy does not lead to uniformly non-market outcomes. Rather competing interests within China have varying effects on external and internal markets Why is China unable to effect desired changes in the global commodity market despite being the largest player? In this thorough and informative book on a topic pertinent to all countries, Pascale Massot unpacks the mix of domestic and international factors behind 'China's vulnerability paradox.' The author delivers valuable insights on the reach and limits of China's global influence. A clearly written, comprehensive analysis of one of the key aspects of China's rise in the last two decades It is a must read for those interested in the political economy of the global commodity markets. Accessible to most audiences and suitable as an undergraduate textbook. A timely, relevant, and well-researched work on one aspect of the economic consequences of China's emergence. One of the merits of the book is in the breadth of information that has been brought together in one publication based on extensive field interviews and in the consistent standards that Massot has applied to make the information meaningful for readers concerned with the many issues touching these minerals. Massot is successful in demonstrating some of the practical, theoretical, and policy challenges confronting China's access to strategic minerals, and deserves a wide readership. China's Vulnerability Paradox is an important addition to the literature covering the nation's impact, not least its buying power, on the world. It is a recommended source of information forboth general and specialist readers interested in understanding the complexities of China's economic rise and its role in the international economic system. Furthermore, it builds on Massot's (2020a, 2020b) earlier works, which I also find insightful. In the academic milieu, the book can be recommended as essential reading for advanced undergraduate, as well as graduate courses in area studies, international political economy, sociology, and related disciplines.