Book Review: Orchestration: China’s Economic Statecraft Across Asia and Europe by James Reilly

Abstract

sible city and that ‘besides the prevalent stereotypes that caught the international media spotlight, little is known about what is happening there’ (p. 5). Ieong explains that the key objective of this book is to cover a wide range of topics which are absent in existing literature, which may disappoint those looking for an academic inquiry backed by quantitative evidence. Nevertheless, the strength of this book is its examination of some underexplored areas in Macao studies which ‘go beyond the stereotypes’ (p. 5), thus offering pioneering insights for theoretical discussion. Some remarkable examples include the spatial battlefield between casino enterprises and Macao people (Chapter 2), the role of Macao in China’s foreign affairs (Chapter 3), playful protests versus resentful protests (Chapter 4), mobilization versus counter-mobilization in protests (Chapter 5), and recurring mechanisms of political participation in Macao compared to Hong Kong (Chapter 8). These research areas are underexplored which make the book unique for those looking to comprehend Macao in different dimensions. It is however important to highlight the pioneering nature of this book and that more in-depth analysis is necessary in the future. Although the editor emphasizes that ‘most of the authors have studied Macau either [by] using a comparative method or applying the related theories in their realms’ (p. 5), some chapters do not contribute much in terms of theoretical insights. Since the book focuses on Macao, some discussions covering other cases make little or no theoretical and empirical contribution to Macao studies. Also, the book is not organized in a logical way. While the editor has highlighted a key theme in each of the three parts of the book, some chapters discuss themes that are beyond the scope of the book. On the whole, this book offers pioneering and potential research topics in Macao studies. It is relevant not only to scholars and students interested in Macao studies but also to researchers in search of a better understanding of this casino city.