With China's continued growth and engagement with every continent, to understand the key issues shaping this country's business environment and the behaviour of Chinese business people becomes increasingly difficult especially when important issues are contested. Is China really the biggest economy in the world? This and several more issues are often misconstrued in the media and heavily influenced by partisan interpretations. However, there is also the well-researched and well-argued analyses in academic literature and business press, reaching diametrically opposite conclusions.

As China becomes the world's largest economy so it becomes important to understand the key issues shaping the country's business environment and the behaviour of Chinese businesspeople.

This is difficult because those issues are contested. Is China growing at 3% or 8%? Is the Chinese consumer going to save the world? Are state-owned enterprises national champions or zombies? Have we reached the end of "Cheap China"? Can China innovate? Is business still dominated by personal connections? Are markets or the state in control? Does Chinese culture impede or support organizational...