DANCING WITH THE DRAGON

In this debut business memoir, Jenevein warns against the potential pitfalls of doing business with Chinese companies.

The author did business in China for over 20 years, working with the Communist Party of China to provide energy to “the cities, hinterlands, offices, and homes of the only nation that comes close to competing with the United States diplomatically, economically, militarily, [and] technologically.” Jenevein’s Texas-based company, Tang Energy Group, was founded to build and operate energy delivery systems in China, from gas-powered plants to wind farms. His dealings with the CPC and their state-owned conglomerates—which can throw their immense weight around in a manner no independent company can—have given him a unique insight into the way America’s rival superpower conducts business, from aggressive lawsuits to bugged conversations to the threat of hired assassins. Jenevein expounds on the Chinese business culture—which, in the absence of dependably enforced laws, relies heavily on established social networks—mining his own, not-always-successful track record for examples. The book is structured as a conversation between Jenevein and writer Steve Fiffer, who interviews Jenevein and occasionally adds insights of his own. Jenevein offers a fascinating look into the labyrinthian process of dealing with fundamentally secretive business partners: “You learn that the [People’s Liberation Army] skews topographic maps so foreigners—whether army personnel or wind farm developers—cannot make sense of them. Because frustration has boiled over and expressed itself effectively to your PRC counterparties, they have provided the key to de-skew the maps.” Much of the text focuses on a dispute between Jenevein and the Chinese aviation company AVIC, which Jenevein claims reneged on a deal to develop wind technology with Tang; it seems, at points, as though the purpose of the book is to let Jenevein settle scores as much as to offer advice. Those who find themselves in the rare position of making multimillion-dollar deals with Chinese corporations may find his account instructive, but it is difficult to imagine it attracting a wider audience.

An intriguing but niche look at the business practices of state-affiliated Chinese businesses.