China Paradox : At the Front Line of Economic Transformation

If your business has anything to do with China, or you simply seek to understand the rise of China, you need to read this book.

In The China Paradox, business strategist and historian Dr. Paul G. Clifford uses vivid examples from his deep experience in China to lay bare the delicate and fragile balance of forces which lie at the heart of China's success. He explains how, against all the odds, the ruling Communist Party boldly led the economic reforms as the surest way to preserve their grip on power.

This flourishing of China's hybrid developmental model is placed firmly in the historical context, shedding light on the legacies that thwarted earlier attempts at change and which today still threaten to render the progress unsustainable. China is taking its place on the world economic stage, displaying business acumen and innovation. But flawed political governance, coupled with the downside of breakneck growth, hampers China's ability to realize its potential and casts a shadow over its longer-term prospects.

This book is for anyone who needs to understand how China competes, anyone with business or other affairs in China, and anyone involved in foreign trade will benefit from this book.

Dr. Paul G. Clifford has recently published a book on China’s forty years of reforms, The China Paradox – At the Front Line of Economic Transformation. He is currently writing a book about Chinese business and Africa.

He has worked in China as a corporate banker, strategy consultant and with a global high technology firm. He has advised both Chinese state-owned and private enterprises as well as multinational firms in China across a wide range of sectors. He has also consulted elsewhere in Asia and in Africa and Latin America.

He studied at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, where he received a Ph.D. in modern Chinese history, and at Peking University. He has taught at universities in Mexico and London and has been published on Chinese history and business.

-Harvard Kennedy School, Ash Center