The essential China reading list

“A mesmerizing tale of how Apple’s preeminence and China’s tech manufacturing prowess have been built on a perfect matchup of the two.” — James L. McGregor, chairman of APCO Worldwide, Greater China

“Explains how Apple — and by extension many multinationals — find themselves captured by China, giving Beijing enormous geopolitical heft around the world.” — James Kynge, senior research fellow, Chatham House

“The shifting landscapes of global supply chains from the vantage point of the world’s most valuable company and their impact on defining our global geo-political future makes for a truly riveting read.” — Pratik Mathur, consul general of India, Shanghai

“[Illustrates] the many political and economic risks of doing business in China, and [demonstrates] the costs to American national security of Apple’s China exposure.” — Isaac Stone Fish, CEO, Strategy Risks

“Opened people’s eyes to how much Apple helped China sprint from a production also-ran to world class manufacturing.” — Michael Dunne, CEO, ZoZo Go

“Explains in fine and exciting detail how Apple did it.” — Jane Perlez, former New York Times Beijing Bureau Chief

“I found his diagnosis of both the successes and failures of the engineering-obsessed [Chinese] leadership compelling.” — Joseph Kahn, executive editor, The New York Times

“Captures the strengths and pathologies of [the US and China].” — Ryan Hass, director of the Brookings Institution’s John L. Thornton China Center

“How technocratic priorities, industrial policy, and the power of engineers are shaping [China’s] development and governance.” — Paul Haenle, JPMorgan Chase, head of Asia-Pacific policy and strategic competitiveness

“Shows beautifully the upsides of a country run by engineers, the infrastructure and digital wonderland, yet also shows the dark side of social engineering in the one-child policy as well as Zero Covid.” — Joerg Wuttke, partner, DGA Albright Stonebridge Group

“A powerful and insightful distillation of what we’ve known for years: America’s legal system is a hindrance to innovation, while China’s engineering prowess is an accelerator.” — Sheldon Ray, international wealth advisor, Raymond James

“A compelling account of how politics, ideology, and personality shaped Xi Jinping’s father and the Communist Party he helped lead.” — Neil Thomas, fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute’s Center for China Analysis

“Painstakingly, and creatively researched, it seems like the kind of book that will get harder and harder to do, and all the more worthwhile for it.” — Richard McGregor, senior fellow at the Lowy Institute

“A remarkable window into the life of one of China’s top party leaders that also provides deep insights into the making of today’s Xi Jinping.” — Dexter Tiff Roberts, publisher of Trade War

“The single best read to really feel how [Chinese] elite politics works from the inside. Plus, he just had a crazy life!” — Jordan Schneider, founder of the ChinaTalk Podcast and Newsletter

“Anyone who wants to understand today’s China needs to know this story and Eva Dou has done formidable work to bring it to us.” — Susan Thornton, senior fellow at the Yale Law School Paul Tsai China Center

“A deep dive into the global tech behemoth’s roots and reach, helping to explain a lot of the way China’s industry and the Party system behind it are trying to reshape the world.” — Jonathan Landreth, director of research & communications, Kovrig Group

“Writing about Huawei demands getting the proportions right — political, technological, human, and geopolitical — all at once. Eva Dou’s House of Huawei succeeds on every front.” — Kaiser Kuo, host of the Sinica podcast

“A rich tapestry of stories [that shows] how the CCP is unnecessarily — and tragically — undermining its own legitimacy by eliminating spaces for Chinese to conceive of and develop their own versions of the China Dream.” — Scott Kennedy, senior advisor and trustee chair in Chinese Business and Economic, CSIS

“It makes me feel like I am in China talking to these individuals. A great piece of journalism.” — Philippe Le Corre, senior fellow, Asia Society