Seemingly lost amid all of the recent news coverage around the visit by US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates to the PRC have been stories noting how China’s deputy prime minister, Mr. Li Keqiang,  has been quietly moving through Europe and signing a host of trade, investment, and aid deals. Added to China’s recent efforts to support some of the sagging economies of Europe, and to ensure the continued viability of the Euro zone, this recent spate of deals seems to mark a turning point in China’s relationship with Europe.

For those trying to get a better perspective on the thinking that is driving China’s new approach to the old world, this PDF book by Karine Lisbonne-de Vergeron will be of great interest.  The author, who is not a China specialist, but an international relations analyst, manages to do an excellent job pulling together an overview of how China views Europe economically, politically, and culturally.

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