What will happen when China can manufacture nearly everything that the United States and Europe can, at one-third the cost? It's a ground-shaking question and, when it comes to the West's future economic health, not everyone will want to hear the answer. The burgeoning output of China's vast low-cost factories and the swelling appetite of its 1.3 billion consumers, both of which are driven by infusions of foreign capital and technological know-how, are rapidly altering global commerce. So are China's newfound freedoms, national ambitions, and growing prestige. In CHINA INC., veteran journalist and former commodities trader, Ted Fishman, shows that economics is just where the story begins. Fishman paints a vivid picture of how the mega trends radiating out of China are shaping the day-to-day lives of people everywhere.

Drawing on hundreds of interviews with Chinese, European and American workers, managers, and executives, Fishman also tells how China will force all of us to make big changes in how we think about ourselves as consumers, workers, citizens, and even as parents. The result is a richly engaging work of penetrating reportage and analysis.