Consumer Nationalism in China: Examining its Critical Impact on Multinational Businesses

China has made nationalism central as the country seeks to achieve a “rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.” The new wave of consumer nationalism in China reached a fever pitch in recent years. This book will be the first book that systematically analyzes the different waves of consumer nationalism in China, the types of its nationalistic consumer actions, and the critical impact of the new wave which has increased the possibility of a consumer base that could turn hostile at any moment. It argues that the outbursts of nationalist consumer outrage has become an increasing risk for businesses in China or businesses dealing with Chinese markets, and that as China faces growing diplomatic challenges abroad, multinational companies need to operate with extreme caution when dealing with the world’s second-largest economy.

The book argues that interest in buying and personal pleasure is the most common feature of Chinese modern life. It provides a historical context for Chinese consumers’ nationalism and characteristics of each wave. It answers questions of how Chinese nationalism has changed in recent years and what consequences would the emerged new wave lead to. It looks at the different type of consumer nationalistic actions in China and their

consequences with cases. It argues that China’s emergence as the world’s number two economy carries

political implications that complicate the ambitions of multinational businesses. It discusses some major consumer nationalistic actions in China in the past five years, and proposes a number of pragmatic strategies that could have been taken by some companies in terms of reputation management. The book concludes that the rise of nationalism and governments that interfere in markets pose a threat to the global economic system.