Abstract
<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title> <jats:p>Subversion and Seduction counters the conventional wisdom that China commands geopolitical influence simply by virtue of its economic prowess. It shows how China’s use of economic statecraft has met with successes but also failures. Effectiveness depends on both China’s inducement strategy—subversive or legitimate—and the target country’s political setting, or the level of public accountability. This argument draws on evidence from field interviews and detailed case studies spanning Southeast Asia, the Indo-Pacific region, and Europe. The book provides a new framework to understand the varied outcomes of economic inducements and the conditions under which economic capabilities translate into political influence; analyzes the outcomes of China’s economic influence across multiple contexts and what this means for China’s rise; and assesses the broader implications for great power competition and U.S.-China relations.</jats:p>