China cover art

China

The Bubble That Never Pops

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China

By: Thomas Orlik
Narrated by: Bob Souer
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About this listen

The Chinese economy appears destined for failure, the financial bubble forever in peril of popping, the real estate sector doomed to collapse, the factories fated for bankruptcy.

Banks drowning in bad loans. An urban landscape littered with ghost towns of empty property. Industrial zones stalked by zombie firms. Trade tariffs blocking the path to global markets. And yet, against the odds and against expectations, growth continues, wealth rises, international influence expands. The coming collapse of China is always coming, never arriving.

Thomas Orlik, a veteran of more than a decade in Beijing, turns the spotlight on China's fragile fundamentals and resources for resilience. Drawing on discussions with communist cadres, shadow bankers, and migrant workers, Orlik pieces together a unique perspective on China's past, present, and possible futures.

Mapping possible scenarios, Orlik games out what will happen if the bubble that never pops finally does. The magnitude of the shock to China and the world would be tremendous. For those in the West nervously watching China's rise as a geopolitical challenger, the alternative could be even less palatable.

©2020 Oxford University Press (P)2021 Tantor Asia Economic Conditions Economics International Politics & Government World China Taxation Banking Capitalism Socialism
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The book is interesting and includes lots of details about China’s economic history but it lacks a clear thesis. It seems like the overall message is ‘China is complicated’.

Detailed/complicated economic history

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Was very informative breaking down the problems faced by China, maybe a bit too technical.

Good, but a lot of economics

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