The Inside Story of China’s 30-Year Reform

While its reform and opening up has generated growth rates averaging almost 10 percent per year for three decades, China’s economic success comes with unique challenges and contradictions. The Inside Story of China’s 30-Year Reform; How China’s Leaders Think and What This Means for the Future draws on China’s 30 years of reform to delve into the way Chinese leaders think – so that foreigners may understand China’s current policies and future prospects.

Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn, author of the book, is a long-time advisor to the Chinese government in economic and political reform, media, science & technology policy, and international communications. His last book, The Man Who Changed China: the Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin, was the first biography of a living Chinese leader ever published in China, and since its publication in January 2005, Dr. Kuhn has spent much of his time in China interviewing senior Chinese leaders across all sectors. The Inside Story of China’s 30-Year Reform is based on these exclusive interviews with China’s leaders – past, current and future – and it is written with an insider’s perspective and voice. As such, this unique book reflects the personal vision and commitment of China’s senior leaders, including the next generation of leaders. Issues pertaining to global and domestic matters – including economics, political reform, military, media, culture, press, film, internet, religion, science and technology, healthcare (including sensitive transplants), banking, private companies, rural problems, the “China Threat vs. China Model,” and more – are discussed in-depth by leaders responsible for those sectors.

The Inside Story of China’s 30-Year Reform gives the reader exclusive access to recently declassified Party material as well as unprecedented personal access to China’s upper echelons of power. An exploration of the present and a forecast of the future, The Inside Story of China’s 30-Year Reform examines how and why China’s current and future leaders think as they do along with what they say and how they act. This extraordinary book scrutinizes 30 years of reform, using the challenges and struggles as a backdrop for understanding China's current and future leadership, assessing what ongoing reform means for China’s diverse sectors and what it foretells about the future of China and the impact on the world.

“To understand China, especially in the face of media distortions, the international community needs to appreciate how China’s leaders think,” said author Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn. “The book focuses on both the country’s most senior leaders and officials and intellectuals in diverse sectors who form the foundation of thinking in China today. My task is to portray their personas, to give voice to their thoughts and life to their feelings as well as to describe their deeds and activities.”

Nick Wallwork, publisher from John Wiley & Sons, added, “Dr. Kuhn’s unique access in China enables him to obtain insights into the Chinese policy-making process. He has done an outstanding job in his quest to shed light on the thought processes and motivations of the current, and possibly future, generations of leaders.”

Vice President for John Wiley & Sons, Asia Pacific, Mark Allin, added, “Wiley is very proud to be publishing such an important book and trust that its valuable insights will lead to a greater understanding of modern China.”

__________________________________________________________

*The Chinese edition of The Inside Story of China’s 30-Year Reform was launched in Beijing, China, on 22 December 2008 – as part of the Commemorative Anniversary of 30 years of reform and opening up led by President Hu Jintao.

The English edition of the book will be published in early 2009.

Media wishing to receive sample chapter of the book for review in their publication, or schedule interviews with the author should contact Alina Boey, Senior Manager Corporate Communications at aboey@wiley.com or phone +65-96565580.

About the book
The Inside Story of China’s 30-Year Reform: How China’s Leaders Think and What This Means for the Future

By Robert Lawrence Kuhn

Publication Date: Early 2009

About the Author

Dr. Robert Lawrence Kuhn is an international investment banker, public intellectual and long-time advisor to the Chinese government at highest levels. Since 1989, he has been an adviser to the Chinese government in restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, science and technology, media and culture, Sino-American relations, foreign affairs, and international communications. Dr. Kuhn is the author of The Man Who Changed China: The Life and Legacy of Jiang Zemin, the unprecedented biography that was the number one bestselling nonfiction book in China in 2005. His last book, China’s Banking and Financial Markets: The Internal Research Report of the Chinese Government (co-authored with Li Yang), was published by Wiley (2007).

Dr. Kuhn contributes regularly to the international and business media, such as CNBC, Bloomberg, BusinessWeek, Chief Executive, and People’s Daily, speaking and writing about China’s economy and the philosophy and policies of its senior leaders. Since 2005, Dr. Kuhn has visited more than 20 provinces and 40 cities in China meeting leaders in government and business and people in all walks of life. Dr. Kuhn is Senior Advisor, Citigroup (Global Investment Banking), where he works with multinational corporations on China and Chinese companies on capital markets. Dr. Kuhn, who has a doctorate in brain research, is chairman of The Kuhn Foundation, which produces Closer To Truth, the public television series on the meaning of state-of-the-art science (which Dr. Kuhn hosts) – www.closertotruth.com.

About Wiley

Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. has been a valued source of information and understanding for 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Since 1901, Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 350 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry and Peace.

Our core businesses publish scientific, technical, medical and scholarly journals, encyclopedias, books, and online products and services; professional/trade books, subscription products, training materials, and online applications and websites; and educational materials for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's Web site can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com. The Company is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbols JWa and JWb.

***END***