The China Business Conundrum: Ensure That "Win-Win" Doesn't Mean Western Companies Lose Twice
Ken Wilcox
Jul 2025 · Gildan Media · Narrated by Mitch Crawford
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Audiobook
12 hr 7 min
Unabridged
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The China Business Conundrum: Ensure That "Win-Win" Doesn't Mean Western Companies Lose Twice describes former CEO of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) Ken Wilcox's firsthand challenges he encountered in four years "on the ground" trying to establish a joint venture between SVB and the Chinese government to fund local innovation design—and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) efforts to systematically sabotage the project and steal SVB's business model. This book provides actionable advice drawn from meticulous notes Wilcox took from interviews with people from all walks of Chinese life, including Party and non-Party members, the business elite, and domestic workers.
Describing a China he found fascinating and maddeningly complex, this book explores topics including difficulties in transplanting SVB's model to China, from misunderstandings about titles and responsibilities to pitched battles over toilet design; ethics and practices widely adopted by Chinese businesses today and why China must be met with realistic expectations; and Wilcox's own honest missteps and the painfully learned lessons that came afterwards.
Engrossing, enlightening, and entertaining, The China Business Conundrum is an essential cautionary tale and guidebook for all Western bankers, C-suite executives, consultants, and entrepreneurs seeking to do business within China.
Describing a China he found fascinating and maddeningly complex, this book explores topics including difficulties in transplanting SVB's model to China, from misunderstandings about titles and responsibilities to pitched battles over toilet design; ethics and practices widely adopted by Chinese businesses today and why China must be met with realistic expectations; and Wilcox's own honest missteps and the painfully learned lessons that came afterwards.
Engrossing, enlightening, and entertaining, The China Business Conundrum is an essential cautionary tale and guidebook for all Western bankers, C-suite executives, consultants, and entrepreneurs seeking to do business within China.
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