
Liu mingfu likes to think he is the oracle of a new era. A retired colonel with the ramrod bearing of a career soldier, he has never been to the U.S. but is a self-proclaimed expert on Sino-American relations: he lectured on the subject at the National Defense University in Beijing, the training ground for the People's Liberation Army (PLA). Three years ago, Liu wrote a best-selling book called China Dream: Great Power Thinking and Strategic Positioning of China in the Post-American Age. In his hawkish tome, Liu explained that China needed a strong, martial leader and offered advice for his...