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We ignore tomorrow’s superpowers at our peril. For this reason alone, Dick
Wilson’s China: The Big Tiger (Little, Brown & Co, £20, ISBN 0 316
90714 6) is recommended reading if you plan to be around in the 21st century.
Wilson provides a coherent account—human rights warts and all—of
China’s recent history and future prospects. But from a scientist’s viewpoint,
the book is light on analysis of the importance of science and technology to
China’s economic development. The legions of young Chinese currently learning
their craft in the laboratories of the west are testament to the fact that
China’s rulers have not made the same oversight.