Red Roulette: An Insider's Story of Wealth, Power, Corruption and Vengeance in Today's China

Finally a book by a Chinese insider that illustrates the inner workings of business & politics in China, and how these two segments interact and intertwine. Authentic!

I came to this book with a predisposition that it was all about the dirt on China. I was wrong. Sure, it details plenty of things that I would guess are unwelcome by the Chinese government, but the book is far more than that. It is a life story, a very full and varied life story, that is interesting on its own.In my own efforts to understand China (which I accept as an armchair reader I will likely never do), this book has been a valuable resource, given it has been written by a successful Chinese man, who once followed the rules and undertook Beijings directives, for example in the Hong Kong protests.China is clearly a complex place, and this book has helped me get my mind around some issues a little better, for example the internal power struggle dynamics.The authors bitterness (perhaps a bit strong) towards his country’s government is very telling by the end of the book, but at least one of his criticisms could I think also, fairly and terribly sadly, be levelled against my own country (Britain) today, the importance of ‘basic dignity’ for all.This book covers a lifetime, the ups and downs of personal relationships, of how insecurity can affect you, business success, philanthropy, helping others, how China works behind the scenes, major political manoeuvring over the decades, and corruption and how it is dealt with, amongst other issues.It’s well written and well worth a read by anyone wanting to get a better glimpse into China. But I don’t think that the Chinese government will like this book much.It’s just one perspective on China, by a once loyal citizen. But it is a page turner.

Bought this book because it was widely touted by the Sunday Times and others. Certainly provides an interesting insight to the workings of modern China, but I couldn’t help thinking that the whole thing would work better as an investigative article in Vanity Fair rather than a standalone book. Author is brave to have committed his experience to paper, but it strikes me that some of the most interesting developments have arisen after publication (the telephone call from his ‘disappeared’ ex-wife imploring him not to publish, for example). Author’s observation that Chinese authorities will tolerate external ideas and input when in a position of weakness but will close ranks when the country feels powerful is interesting. And begs the question of “what next?”, now that China is clearly beginning to stamp its authority domestically, in Hong Kong, and the South China Sea.

In Red Roulette Desmond Shum lifts the lid on ‘rent seeking’ on a gargantuan scale by China’s corrupt ruling elite and their extended families. The fact that it is China, not Russia, or some other despotic autocratic and backward state in Latin America or Africa is the surprise.Increasing assertiveness has become a defining characteristic of China’s rise to superpower status in an increasingly bipolar world. Each success has encouraged a more confrontational approach, including in foreign relations. China’s boldness of approach will sharpen further as it encounters little serious pushback against its policies and practices. It is not that China doesn’t play by the rules, we all know it doesn’t. This books reveals what rules China does play by: it’s own.United States’ strategy emphasizes the importance of China. Since the Nixon-Kissinger era, the central theme has been accommodation. For fifty years Washington has welcomed China into the international system. Access to the American market has driven China’s GDP growth. To ensure the CCP elite’s rule, regional hegemony is a necessity. Its people again are as productive as the best anywhere else on the planet. The demographic maths means China will inevitably power its way back to the top of the international hierarchy.Many western politicians parrot the clichés on China’s rise; few understand the true scale of China’s achievements or its vaulting ambition for the future. Never in history has a nation lifted itself from abject poverty and achieved so much in so many dimensions of national power in such a short space of time. Whether the metric is GDP, power stations, dams, smart phones, luxury goods, high-speed rail, education, or simply living standards, the transformation is quite literally amazing. China has become the engine of global growth, displacing the United States. It has transformed the lives of one in five of the people on the planet, in a way that no government in human history can match. Despite all the naysayers in the West, at a purely material level, it takes intelligent, determined, and effective government, to deliver such a transformation in a single generation. For many older Chinese their children’s prospects and living standards are quite literally a dream come true. The Chinese people are smart, industrious, and sophisticated. Singapore and Taiwan amply demonstrate what they can achieve even without the guidance of the Chinese Communist Party.China's central policy tenant is one of strategic patience. China does not want to incur costly counter plays from competing parties. While China will be ever more active as one of the two dominant forces in global governance, it will not conduct itself as Imperial Japan, or Nazi Germany did. Its approach will be far less hurried and much subtler. Even so, make no mistake; the Communist Party of China is accumulating power to ensure its survival. That is the core message Desmond Shum delivers.

This is a book for China watchers, connoisseurs or anyone who's interested in going beyond the cliche daily headlines