Books

This is the inside story of how US–China trade and economic battles unraveled relations between the two superpowers and darkened prospects for global peace and prosperity. It is told by two Wall Street Journal reporters. Bob Davis, based in Washington, D.C., and Lingling Wei, stationed in Beijing. The two had more access to the decision makers in the White House and in China’s Zhongnanhai leadership compound than anyone else.

The trade battle between China and the U.S. didn’t start with Donald Trump and won’t end with him, the authors argue. The two countries have a long and fraught political and economic history which has become more contentious―an escalation that has negatively impacted both countries' economies and the world at large―and holds the potential for even more uncertainty and disruption.

Superpower Showdown is the story of a romance gone bad. Uniquely positioned to tell the story, Davis and Wei conducted hundreds of interviews with government and business officials in both nations.

"The book, by the formidable Wall Street Journal reporters Bob Davis and Lingling Wei, shows how fragile the truce between the countries is, and how close they are to a more devastating conflict. Its keen reporting suggests their destinies are more shared than either would like to admit."-- New York Times

"if you ever wished you were a fly on the wall as top leaders in the U.S. and China were considering how to parry their counterparts' most recent moves, here's your big chance."-- Axios

‍

Many Americans are enjoying the fruits of prosperity.  Unemployment and inflation are low and it seems that everyone is driving a sport utility vehicle.

But is this a prosperity that's reserved for the upper middle class, the folks driving the Jeep Cherokees?  Or is something more fundamental happening?  The answers are crucial for anyone interested in how America is changing--from corporate executives to policy makers to the average person keeping up with current issues.

Bob Davis and David Wessel spent thousands of hours in living rooms and workplaces around the country, and examine how changes in trade, technology, education and economic policy are affecting the lives of ordinary Americans in the quest for broadly shared prosperity.

"One of the ten best business books of 1998." -- Business Week

"In this engrossing and well-reported book, the authors...pull together many threads to become a primer of sorts, a framework for figuring out how an economy could work for everyone." -- New York Times.

"This book has many virtues, but the greatest is its contribution to a public debate that has been dominated by unshakable pessimists skeptical of America again achieving, in the authors phrase, "broadly shared prosperity." -- Journal of Commerce

‍

We went to China for the adventure.

This is a chronicle of the adventures of the husband-and-wife team of Bob Davis and Debra Bruno

Sure, China is a great news story. As a 30-year veteran of The Wall Street Journal, I was always attracted to a big story. And sure, an assignment abroad, especially to the world’s biggest rising power, could open doors to more jobs at home later on. Unquestionably, the assignment would help my wife’s freelance career because publishers are desperate for stories from China.

But those weren’t the reasons why I chose to move to China in early 2011, or why my wife, Debra Bruno, joined me later in the year. We went because our life in Washington, D.C., in a quiet neighborhood where we were surrounded by close friends, had become too sedentary. We went to China for the novelty. We went to check out the fuss about China. We went to shake things up.

We weren't disappointed.

‍