In the Shadow of the Dragon: The Global Expansion of Chinese Companies - and How It Will Change Business Forever

China’s biggest corporations are going global, and they will soon represent the greatest competition for American companies in the international marketplace. While Western multinationals have been trying to figure out how to break into the enormous China market, Chinese companies are increasingly being forced to look outwards, and to move up the value chain. They are being driven both by domestic pressure from competing Chinese companies at home, and by the need to find new customers as their domestic markets become saturated.

A meticulously researched exposé of the most competitive companies in China, In the Shadow of the Dragon examines the Chinese corporations poised to make a tremendous splash on the international marketplace, what tactics they’re using to move beyond China, and where they are most likely to compete and to succeed. Based on interviews with Chinese business leaders and original case studies, the book reveals how and why these organizations function the way they do, the revolutionary strategies they’re using to rewrite the play­book on international business, and what we must do to defend our own companies and thrive in the future.

Part primer, part survival guide, the book examines key organizations in different segments of China’s economy, including energy, electronics, low-cost production, financial services, sophisticated industrial equipment, household appliances, and more. You’ll hear fascinating accounts of organizations such as ICBC, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, which recently launched the largest IPO in history; Baidu, China’s leading internet search engine, which has a market cap twice that of Yahoo, and considerably higher than eBay’s; and Haier, which quietly cornered the U.S. market in creating cheap, small refrigerators for dorm rooms, and forced Whirlpool’s hand when making a serious bid for Maytag.

How the West responds to China’s emergence as an economic power will have a crucial impact on both international business and the current trend toward globalization. This enlightening and practical book takes an insider’s view of the forces at work inside China, and how they will come to affect us all.

WINTER NIE is a business consultant and professor at IMD, a leading business school in Lausanne, Switzerland.

WILLIAM DOWELL is a freelance writer who served as a Time magazine correspondent in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. He lives in Geneva, Switzerland.

China’s vision of its place in the world is evolving fast. For the last fifty years, Western companies have dominated the international marketplace and have generally played by the same rules. But Chinese companies are increasingly determined to compete internationally with established Western multinationals. And while many of us may not have heard of these organizations yet, Western companies already find themselves increasingly challenged head-on, forming new alliances with Chinese partners or being bought outright by Chinese investors.

Strengthened by a large, surprisingly well-educated, low-wage workforce, extensive government support, increased education, and an impressive readiness to adapt with lightning speed, Chinese companies are using revolutionary tactics to take down their competition. Written from the perspective of how China sees the world and how this vision relates to what is actually happening on the ground inside China, In the Shadow of the Dragon examines important factors involving China’s increasing international expansion. China is already having an impor­tant impact in the international world on everything from business to employment and there’s no going back now. Featuring profiles of key players and eye-opening case studies, In the Shadow of the Dragon provides an in-depth analysis of where Chinese organizations are headed and where they will take the rest of us.

Advance Praise for In the Shadow of the Dragon

“Everyone knows that Chinese firms have been on a shopping spree, buying up foreign assets. Who are these Chinese firms, and what are they really after? [This book] provides a uniquely Chinese answer. The chapter on Chinese innovation is particularly insightful and interesting.”

— Philippe Felten, CEO of BEA (Bureau Electronique Appliqué)

“With 1.3 billion potential customers and more than $1 trillion to invest, China is a country that no executive in business today can afford to ignore. [The authors] provide unique insights into how Chinese executives see the world today as well as the events that helped shape them. This is important reading for anyone hoping to compete in the global free market.”

— Gary Steel, Executive Vice President and Head of Human Resources of ABB (Asa Brown Bovier)

“It is no secret that China’s increasing importance on the international business scene is accelerating beyond expectations. In the Shadow of the Dragon provides key insights and profiles on the major Chinese companies that will become the world’s next multinationals and are already changing the global business environment. Nobody involved in international business can afford to ignore or miss this fundamental trend, which is radically changing the global competitive landscape. It is a must-read book for executives who try to understand the China phenomenon and the future role of Chinese multinationals.”

— Gerard R. Vittecoq, Group President and Executive Office Member of Caterpillar Inc.