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List of contents
Part 1. Issues and challenges 1. The emergence of a French banking strategy in China 2. French overseas banking as an imperial system: A background for Asian developments 3. British hegemony in China in the years 1900-1930: Maritime dominance and banking power 4. China: a commercial target for France (1900-1914) 5. The French banks’ activities in the Pacific area of Asia (from the years 1860s to the years 1940s) 6. The Black Lotus: the fight against fraud and deception in the French concessions in China (1890s-1940s) Part 2. French banking in Hong Kong 7. French banking in Hong Kong (1860s-1930s): Challenging British banks? 8. The development of Banque de l’Indochine’s activities on the Hong Kong market 9. The relative success of Banque de l’Indochine on the Hong Kong niche 10. Crisis and ordeals 11. The Hong Kong place at a turning point: Banque de l’Indochine facing geo-economics (in the 1950s) 12. Banque de l’Indochine and Indosuez confronted to the change of business and banking cycle 13. The end of a business and banking cycle: French bankers stake-holders of a global metropolis
About the author
Hubert Bonin is a researcher in modern economic history at Sciences Po Bordeaux and at the Gretha research centre at Bordeaux University.
Summary
This book gauges the competitive edge of French banks, their struggle with British domination and their resistance against competitors. Essential reading for those interested in banking history and the contemporary history of China and Hong Kong.
Additional text
"Bonin’s book on the French financial and commercial initiatives in Hong Kong and mainland China in the age of imperialism will add new insights to our understanding of the history of colonial banks from the French perspective and appeal to scholars interested in banking history and the history of Hong Kong." — Luman Wang, ShanghaiTech University, appearing in Business History, August 2021.
