In his new book “China’s Great Wall of Debt”, Dinny McMahon, suggests that China has powered ahead for as long as it has not because it is immune to crises, but because its government has so far managed to intervene to stave them off. His book argues, specifically in relation to rising debt levels, that this offers no guarantee that the debt problem can be pushed down the road indefinitely.

McMahon spent over a decade in China with the Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones News Service where through the stories of ordinary Chinese citizens, he tried to make sense of the unique—and often bizarre—mechanics of the Chinese economy during its period of rapid economic expansion and development.

The European Chamber is delighted to welcome McMahon to join us for a Friday afternoon happy hour discussion and to share some of the unique anecdotes that underpin his book; including: the story of the baijiu salesman turned financial speculator, the Chinese industrialist outsourcing manufacturing to the US, the ghost city of Tieling, and why it became so important to Li Keqiang that China master the manufacturing of the ballpoint pen.

In a reversal of roles, Trivium/China’s Andrew Polk will be grilling the former journalist on why such individual stories speak to the main challenges facing the government as it attempts to mitigate the worst effects of the growth at all cost model that defined the period in which McMahon covered China.

For more information or to register, visit: http://www.europeanchamber.com.cn/en/upcoming-events/14667/China_s_Great_Wall_of_Debt_Shadow_Banks_Ghost_Cities_Massive_Loans_and_the_End_of_the_Chinese_Miracle