Book excerpt: China has matured as a market—and the game has changed. Yesterday, multinationals grappled with fundamental strategic choices: Do we go to China? Whom do we partner with? Where should we invest? Winning in China was all about achieving approval to enter the market, picking the right joint venture partner and selling in the right few cities to the right customers. Execution didn’t matter as much as privileged access—through government and partner relationships. Today, China is teeming with MNCs and local competitors. Government is no longer the main driver of deals. Barriers to entry have fallen. Regulations are less of a factor. Partners are no longer required in many industries. Winning now depends on great execution: effectively and efficiently developing, marketing, producing, and channeling goods to customers and growing and retaining a talent base. In Operation China, Jimmy Hexter and Jonathan Woetzel explain how you can achieve superior execution in China—through operations including talent management, product development, information technology, procurement, supply-chain management, manufacturing, and sales, marketing, and distribution. Based on over two decades of consulting experience for both local and multinational operations in China and extensive research on what drives success in operating in China, this book helps you get your operations right in the new competitive arena defining China today.