RaveThe Washington Post... remarkable ... With shelves groaning under the weight of books on modern China, Shum’s is a standout as a rare bona fide insider account of the decidedly anti-socialist nexus of money and politics that defines China’s authoritarian political system. It is essential reading for anyone interested in piercing the carefully controlled and orchestrated propaganda veneer Beijing has erected ... Shum’s book is a remarkable indictment of the Chinese Communist Party, coming at the precise moment that Xi is attempting to rebrand it as a morally pure force working selflessly on behalf of the Chinese people. Red Roulette lays siege to this effort by depicting a ruling class obsessed with power, luxury and status. This perhaps explains why the party went to such great lengths to guard two recent phone calls from Duan to Shum in which she pleaded with him to halt the book’s publication, lest harm come to her and his family.
Josh Rogin
PositiveThe Washington PostFor Chaos Under Heaven, Rogin, a columnist for The Washington Post’s Global Opinions section, had exceptional access to the key players in the previous administration. His book provides a fascinating window into the dysfunction and shortsightedness that typified the Trump administration’s approach to China and brings to light important details that will undoubtedly make their way into future histories of the bilateral relationship. Rogin, for example, puts us in the room in December 2016 when Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi lectured a Trump team for at least two hours on \'a litany of Chinese government edicts, grievances, and demands.\' ... However, Rogin’s compelling blow-by-blow account of the backbiting within the Trump administration would have been strengthened by a more complete analysis of the bilateral relationship prior to Trump. The intense focus on the former president produces a rather ahistoric portrait of Sino-U.S. relations ... The long, messy and complicated history of the relationship between Beijing and Washington is essential for understanding its future. While some readers may come away from this book awakened to the perils presented by Xi Jinping’s China, they will be left without a deep historical perspective on what might lie ahead.
