Time will tell. Not our contemporaries will decide on the significance of George H. W. Bush as the 41st President of the United States (1989–1993). Such a judgement will most likely take at least another 50 years to make, when all the dust of contemporary turbulent times has settled, and historians select and describe our times into the chronicles of history. However, most likely, Jeffrey A. Engel's (Ed.) book will play a part in that process, as The China diary of George H. W. Bush. The making of a global President is a primary text. It consists of the transcribed cassette tapes, recorded by George H. W. Bush in lieu of a diary.

Sino-American relations were frozen in a lock-down since the Communist victory in 1949, with the US unwilling to recognize the legitimacy of Communist rule in China. However, in 1971 Henry Kissinger brokered an opening up and paved the way for President Nixon to visit China in 1972. In 1973, Nixon's successor, President Gerald Ford, established the United States Liaison Office (USLO) in Beijing, to which George H. W. Bush was appointed for 14 months from 1974 till 1976, serving as the Chief of the USLO and American Envoy, not actually, but often acting as Ambassador to China. George H. W. Bush personal style is credited for having made the mission a success, and laid the foundations of future diplomatic relations renewal.

When the Bushes arrived in China, in late 1974, China was still submerged in the turmoil of the Cultural Revolution, which still raged although no longer as fiercely as during the first five years. There were very few foreigners in Beijing, and Bush personal style of going out and making contact, going out on his bike and shopping with Barbera won the hearts of some of the Chinese they met and worked with. Jeffrey A. Engel's edition of Bush's diaries also map the extensive contacts Bush built up and maintained within the diplomatic community in Beijing.

At 544 pages, The China diary of George H. W. Bush. The making of a global President is surprisingly readable. There are plenty of daily observations about the life of the Bushes in Beijing during this period, and the style of the diaries is as accessible and interesting as many diaries from numerous other visitors to China during the same period and later on. In fact, The China diary of George H. W. Bush is a lot more readable than some other contemporary diaries because George H. W. Bush does not display any of the anger and prejudice that is often found in other contemporary diarists.

For scholars, Jeffrey A. Engel's edition is a real treasure, as the editor provides footnotes and annotations throughout, mapping all of Bush's contacts he visited and made during his tenure in Beijing. Included in the volume is a 65+-page essay by the editor describing the significance of holding this post to the career development of George H. W. Bush and the development of Sino-American relations. ( )