In China's Vulnerability Paradox, Pascale Massot presents an original framework to examine the uneven transformations in global commodity markets resulting from the dramatic, contemporary expansion of China's economy. While one might expect China to be able to easily exert power in these markets, Massot argues that China is actually quite vulnerable to external forces. She zeros in on the relative position of China's market power across numerous major commodities: in ore, potash, uranium, and copper. At a time of deepening US-China tensions and debates about the future of the global economy, this book provides an alternative understanding of the dynamics connecting the domestic political economy of large emerging economies and that of global markets.