Book review: The War for China’s Wallet – readable if one-sided view of China’s business climate

by Shaun Rein

2.5/5 stars

Shaun Rein cemented his position as an expert on doing business in China through his previous books, End of Cheap China and End of Copycat China. Many will have listed to Rein because he married into Chinese political royalty – his wife is a granddaughter of late PLA marshal Ye Jianying – and mixes with many of China’s movers and shakers.

But the title of Rein’s latest offering, The War for China’s Wallet, may mislead readers into thinking it will reveal how businesses can sell to Chinese consumers. While it does touch on this, it ultimately never fully delivers. Instead the first three chapters deal with the geopolitical situation – Rein believes the policies of US presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump have left a power vacuum that China has filled and is now manipulating for its political and economic advantage.

Book review: What’s Wrong with China – like an obnoxious expat’s drunken rant extended to a whole book

Today China uses trade as both carrot and cudgel, dividing countries into what Rein dubs cold, warm and hot partners. Where a country lies depends on how much it acquiesces to China’s political hegemony. Some of his recommendations, for example that the US reduce troop numbers in the region, show how much he tows Beijing’s line and his claim that China sees US troops in South Korea as a threat underestimates the capabilities of the Chinese military and overestimates US ability and ambition.