"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--sometimes these effects are even liberalizing ones. Massot's deep dive into the heterogenous nature and effectsof these internal interests challenges the naive view in much discourse these days that the Communist Party imposes uniform preferences on all actors." --Alistair Iain Johnston, Harvard University"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." --Yuen Yuen Ang, Johns Hopkins University"A clearly written, comprehensive analysis of one of the key aspects of China's rise in the last two decades--its enormous impact on the global markets in iron ore, potash, and other commodities. This is an area where the country has risen to number one in a very quick time.

Far from this demonstrating hegemonic characteristics, however, Pascale Massot's book illustrates China as a complex, often contradictory power, within a context in which its newly founddominance is also a source of constant stress and questions. This study sheds light on the nature of global markets, the ways in which China behaves as much in an unplanned as a structured way, theemerging structure of the global economy and the complex interaction between different state and non-state actors within the Chinese economy itself. Almost certain to become the standard work on this issue for the years ahead." --Kerry Brown, Professor of Chinese Studies and Director, Lau China Institute, King's College, London"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." -- Choice.