This volume investigates the multifaceted implications of China's integration into the global trading system following its 2001 accession to the World Trade Organization. The authors, Heike Holbig and Robert Ash, synthesize contributions from international scholars to examine how this transition affected China's domestic political economy and its standing within the global market. The text provides a framework for understanding the tension between state-led development models and the liberalized requirements of international trade agreements.

Experts recognize this work as a significant contribution to the study of China's economic modernization and its integration into international institutions. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which serves as a foundational resource for students and researchers of contemporary Chinese political economy.