The media often throw around terms like ‘Dual Circulation Strategy’, ‘friendshoring’, and ‘Xiconomics’ in relation to China’s economic policies, but what do they actually mean? And how could they affect your business in China? Paul French speaks to the authors of a new book that explores these crucial questions Andrew Cainey and Christiane Prange’s Xiconomics: What China’s Dual Circulation Strategy Means for Global Business (Columbia University Press) is perhaps one …
A new exhibition at the British Museum encompasses China’s transformation as it suffered through two Opium Wars, the colonial occupation of Hong Kong, a disastrous war with Japan and more – and yet it was also when the country began opening up to the outside world. Paul French went along to find out more The current blockbuster British Museum exhibition, China’s Hidden Century (1796-1912), runs till 8 October. For anyone …
As she releases her new book, Fortune’s Bazaar, author Vaudine England meets up with Paul French in Hong Kong’s famous Foreign Correspondents’ Club to discuss two centuries of Hong Kong history – from “barren rock” to colony, from handover to today With such uncertainty at present, perhaps it’s a good time to look back on the history of Hong Kong. There have certainly been books about the city’s history before – …
A new book by London-based academic Dr Keyu Jin argues that the popular perception that China still relies on technology transfers, industrial subsidies and unfair trade competition for its economic success is outdated and exaggerated and that a changed perception could revolutionise how companies do business there. Paul French finds out more For decades, it’s been an easy and throw-away shorthand to talk of either socialism or capitalism with “Chinese …
Philip Snow’s ambitious new book – China and Russia: Four Centuries of Conflict and Concord – covers several centuries of history between the great powers, and asks what their current relationship status means for the rest of the world Philip Snow has written a big book about a very big subject – Russia-China relations. It starts in 1689 with the Treaty of Nerchinsk by the Amur River and moves through …
Paul French recommends some of the best Chinese novels, short stories and poetry translated and published so far in 2023. Each of these works has something vital to say about modern China and can deepen our understanding of the country The interior life of urban China: Ghost Music, An Yu From the acclaimed author of 2020’s Braised Pork comes another novel with a culinary feel – mushrooms and all things …
Understanding China’s urbanisation drive and its new mega-cities – the powerhouses of consumption, business and societal change – is a challenge for all businesses. A new book explores the topic. Providing some great perspectives on the process of urbanisation in China is China Urbanising: Impacts and Transitions (University of Pennsylvania Press), edited by Weiping Wu and Qin Gao, both professors at Columbia University. The book gathers an interdisciplinary group of …
Lin Zhang’s new book Labor of Reinvention: Entrepreneurship in the New Chinese Digital Economy (2023, Columbia University Press) traces the myriad local entrepreneurs, often in obscure and remote rural locations, using technology to reinvent their businesses and themselves. Paul French finds out more Whether you are a villager using e-commerce to find new and more profitable markets or a middle-class urban woman reselling luxury goods, the entrepreneurship journey is never …
Zhongguancun is the birthplace of some of China’s (and the world’s) biggest tech companies, including Lenovo, Bytedance – the company behind Tiktok – and Didi. But what role does ‘China’s Silicon Valley’ have to play in the future of the country’s tech sector? Anyone involved in tech in China has probably visited Zhongguancun, the major technology hub in Beijing’s Haidian District that’s been dubbed ‘China’s Silicon Valley’. The area’s scientific …
From the importance of good translation to entrepreneurial techniques for surviving China’s uncertainty, these 10 best non-fiction books on China – introduced by author Paul French – offer an insight into what happened in 2022 … and what we can expect to happen in 2023 On the Edge: Life Along the Russia-China Border, Franck Billé and Caroline Humphrey The Russia-China border winds for 2,600 miles through rivers, swamps, and vast …