DANCING WITH THE DRAGON:
Cautionary Tales of the New China from
an Old China Hand
“Jenevein sets the tone early in this provocative debut, asserting that, in business, ‘the modus operandi of the [People’s Republic of China] is to steamroll the little guy—particularly if he’s a foreigner.’ From there, the book unfolds through conversations between Jenevein and author Steve Fiffer, exploring this chilling story of international clout, political leverage, and corruption with an eye on takeaways for the U.S., businesses, and more.”
—Publishers Weekly/BookLife Reviews
“Patrick Jenevein recalls lessons that he learned from his business dealings in China in his politically minded memoir Dancing with the Dragon. Anecdotes about the challenges of working within a quite different cultural and political environment—from navigating bugged conversations to eating actual bugs—are interspersed throughout, marked by good humor in the face of daunting, emotionally draining challenges within the world of high-power international business and politics.”
—Foreword Clarion Reviews
Foreword by William J. Haynes II
General Counsel of the Department of Defense (2001-2008)
and Admiral (Ret.) Patrick M. Walsh, Commander,
US Pacific Fleet (2009-2012),
Vice Chief of Naval Operations (2007-2009)
PROLOGUE: How Did It Come to This?
What can I tell you about the People’s Republic of China (PRC)?
As one who did business for over twenty years with the government of the PRC and the Communist Party of China (CPC); spent countless days in the cities, hinterlands, offices, and homes of the only nation that comes close to competing with the United States; As one who partnered with the government of the PRC and the CPC for over twenty years; spent countless days in the cities, hinterlands, offices, and homes in the only nation that comes close to upending the system of laws that governs international interactions that the United States has upheld since World War II; experienced personal and professional victories and defeats in developing renewable energy businesses in the land of the dragon; briefed the CIA on what was happening on the ground there in the late 1990s and early 2000s; and celebrated relationships with his Chinese partners but dared to take China’s biggest defense contractor on when it crossed lines both moral and legal, “I can tell you a lot”.
