China's spectacular growth has led to visions of the 21st century being dominated by the last major state on earth ruled by a Communist Party, its forward march seemingly unstoppable when contrasted with the West and Japan. In this book, Jonathan Fenby, a leading expert on the People's Republic, makes plain that China, too, faces major challenges which stand in the way of global domination. It has to deal with political, economic, social and international tests, each of which involves structural difficulties that will put the system under strain. The picture of China invoked by admirers to argue that it will rule the world does not accord with reality. Based on Fenby's extensive knowledge of contemporary China, this punchy analysis offers a pragmatic view of where the PRC is heading at a time when its future is too important an issue for wishful theorizing