This book examines the law reforms of contemporary China in light of the Party-state’s ideological transformation and the political economy that shapes these reforms. This involves analysing three interrelated domains: law reform, power and wealth. The contributors to this volume employ a variety of perspectives and analytical techniques in their discussion of key themes including: commercial law reform and its governance of wealth and regulation of economic activity; the influence and authority of the Party-state over China’s economic activity; and the influence of wealth and the wealthy in economic governance and legal reform. Utilizing an interdisciplinary approach, this book presents analytical perspectives of new work, or new lines of thinking about the new wealth, power and law reforms of China. As such, critical boundaries are explored between legal and financial reforms and what these reforms signify about deeper ideological, economic, social and cultural transformations in China. The book concludes by asking whether there is a ‘China model’ of development which will produce a unique variety of capitalism and indigenous variant of rule of law, and examining the ‘winners and losers’ in the transition from a centrally planned economy to a market economy. Law, Wealth and Power in China will be of interest to students and academics of comparative law, Asian law, Chinese economics and politics, Chinese Studies, as well as professionals in investment banking, finance and government.

Two leading experts on China evaluate its rise throughout the past one hundred fifty years, sharing portraits of key intellectual and political leaders to explain how China transformed from a country under foreign assault to a world giant.

Dickson argues that, rather than promoting democratization, China's entrepreneurs offer key support for the Communist Party's agenda.

An ethnographic study of China’s new elites and their rarified world of debauchery and corruption: “A must have book for China studies” (Choice). This pioneering investigation reveals the private lives—and the nightlives—of the powerful entrepreneurs and managers redefining success and status in the Chinese city of Chengdu. For more than three years, anthropologist John Osburg accompanied wealthy Chinese businessmen as they courted clients, partners, and government officials. Now he invites readers along on his journey through the highly gendered world of luxury karaoke clubs, saunas, and massage parlors—places designed to cater to the desires of elite men. Within these spaces, a masculinization of business is taking place. Osburg details the complex code of behavior that governs businessmen as they go about banqueting, drinking, gambling, bribing, exchanging gifts, and obtaining sexual services. These intricate social networks play a key role in generating business, performing social status, and reconfiguring gender roles. Yet underneath the façade, many entrepreneurs feel trapped by their obligations and moral compromises in this evolving environment. Osburg examines their deep ambivalence about China’s future and their own complicity in the major issues of post-Mao Chinese society—corruption, inequality, materialism, and loss of trust.

As an economic superpower, China has become an increasingly important player in the international monetary system. Its foreign exchange reserves are the largest in the world and its exchange rate policy has become a major subject of international economic diplomacy. The internationalization of the renminbi (RMB) raises critical questions in international policy circles: What kinds of power is China acquiring in international monetary relations? What are the priorities of the Chinese government? What explains its preferences? In The Great Wall of Money, a distinguished group of contributors addresses these questions from distinct perspectives, revealing the extent to which China’s choices, and global monetary affairs, will be shaped by internal political factors and affect world politics. The RMB is a likely competitor for the dollar in the next couple of decades; its emergence as an important international currency would have substantial effects on the balance of power between the United States and China. By illuminating the politics of China’s international monetary relations, this book provides a timely account of the global economy, the role of the renminbi in international relations, and the trajectory of China’s continuing ascendency in the coming decades.

“By learning more not only about China, but from China, America is more likely to sustain a constructive relationship with the rising China. Lampton insightfully provides us with the much-needed guidance.”–Zbigniew Brzezinski, Center for Strategic and International Studies "Professor Lampton's stimulating and well-researched book provides a comprehensive framework for intelligent thinking about the implications for the United States and the world of the rapid expansion of China's economic and military power. Serious students of world affairs and non-specialists concerned about the outlook for U.S.-China relations will all benefit from the historically-based insights and judgments that fill the pages of this thought-provoking volume."—J. Stapleton Roy, former United States ambassador to China

This work undertakes an analysis of extra-legal institutions in China’s criminal justice, explaining their resilience and entrenchment with the thesis that sovereign power is premised on juridical mechanisms that allow the suspension of rights.