Book · 2018 · Updated edition 2021
Der Masterplan
China's path to high-tech world dominance
German edition only. No English-language edition is available. The pitch and chapter overview below are editorial English translations to give international readers an impression. The press reviews further down are quoted in their original German.
The People's Republic of China has, in a short time, risen from a developing country to the world's second-largest economy. In the early years, Chinese entrepreneurs copied the products and concepts of companies from the United States and Europe. Today they are developing their own ideas – ones that will revolutionise the global economic order. Alongside the next generation of world-changing companies such as Alibaba, Tencent and Baidu, the Chinese state is also playing a central role. With state-of-the-art technology, every company and every citizen is meant to be observable in real time – including beyond the borders of the People's Republic. These developments confront Europe and Germany with entirely new challenges. Will China's new technological leadership become a real threat to our prosperity and our freedom?
This book traces the most innovative ideas inside China. It shows where companies from the People's Republic have already overtaken their competitors in Europe and the United States. And it identifies the thinkers behind the concepts – and how they will radically change the economic order in Europe, too. Their ideas will make many things more convenient. But they also raise fundamental questions about the security of our data and the meaning of national borders in the digital world. Stephan Scheuer describes the digital strategy of China's leadership, gives the inventors behind the rising companies a face, and shows how the internet superpower China will change our lives and shape our future.
The first version of the book was published in 2018. Because of the many developments inside China's tech scene, the work was completely revised and published in 2021 as an updated new edition – this time as a paperback.
About the research
Growth
No country in the world has managed the leap from developing country to leading economic nation as quickly and as comprehensively as China.
The state
Behind China's rise lies, to a large extent, the deliberate planning of the state leadership in Beijing. It creates strong starting conditions for companies, but it also limits development through censorship and constant control.
The companies
No sector in China is as dynamic as the tech industry. Companies such as Tencent and Alibaba are catching up with their American rivals Google, Amazon and Facebook.
Innovation
Chinese tech companies are overtaking their global competitors in more and more areas. In Europe, the rising power of Chinese firms is dramatically underestimated.
Europe falling behind
Beijing is creating facts. China's leadership creates the conditions for tech firms to grow fast. Europe fails to find adequate answers. EU companies risk being left behind.
Planned economy & big data
Beijing uses new technologies to enable an entirely new form of state control and surveillance. In the future, every citizen and every company is to be observable in real time. A step with profound consequences for the global economy.
Reading sample
The reading sample for the paperback edition is available as a PDF (in German).
Ratings
Press reviews (German-language media)
The following reviews are quoted in their original German. Translations would distort verifiable wording – the source is linked where available.
„Der in London und Peking ausgebildete Sinologe beschreibt, wie die chinesischen Internetgiganten Alibaba, Tencent und Baidu in wenigen Jahren den riesigen Heimatmarkt des bevölkerungsreichsten Landes der Erde aufrollten, ihre Konkurrenten in den Vereinigten Staaten, Europa und Deutschland abhängten und nun zum globalen Angriff auf die restliche Welt rüsten."
„Neben künftigen Weltkonzernen wie Alibaba, Tencent und Baidu weist Scheuer auch dem chinesischen Staat eine weiterhin zentrale Bedeutung zu: Mit modernster Technik überwache er Unternehmen und Bürger in Echtzeit – über die Grenzen der Volksrepublik hinaus."
„Um zu begreifen, wie die Billigfabrik China, die kopierte, was sie nur kopieren konnte, gerade eben das Original zu überholen droht, lohnt sich die Lektüre von Stephan Scheuers Buch »Der Masterplan«."
„Wer je an der Kraft und Macht Chinas gezweifelt hat, wird das nach der Lektüre nicht mehr tun. […] Scheuer belegt faktenreich die sich langsam vollziehende gigantische, globale Machtverschiebung zugunsten Chinas."
„Wer mehr über Chinas digitale Ambitionen erfahren will, dem sei das Buch »Der Masterplan« von Stephan Scheuer empfohlen."
„Im Zusammenhang mit dem Handelskrieg zwischen China sind viele Werke zur Person von Donald Trump erschienen – aber auch zur chinesischen Wirtschaft. Das Buch »Der Masterplan« von Stephan Scheuer ist ein empfehlenswertes Beispiel."
„Alibaba, eines von drei chinesischen Giganten, die die Konkurrenz aus den USA angreifen. Und das als Teil einer industriepolitischen Strategie, mit der China langfristig an die Spitze will. Was die Chinesen entwickeln, könnte auch nach Deutschland kommen, wie der Handelsblatt-Korrespondent Stephan Scheuer in seinem Buch »Der Masterplan« schreibt."
„In Rekordzeit hat die Volksrepublik den Sprung zur zweitgrößten Volkswirtschaft der Welt hingelegt. Dabei setzen die Machthaber in Peking vor allem auf eins: nämlich die Digitalisierung aller Lebensbereiche."
„Dass China im digitalen Bereich so rasant aufholen konnte, hat ganz viel mit einer cleveren Politik der chinesischen Führung zu tun. Die Führung hat früh erkannt, dass das Internet eine Basis für einen ganz eigenen Wirtschaftszweig sein kann."
Where to buy
The China section collects features, analysis and videos from the years as Beijing correspondent – the foundation for this book.