Many books have addressed the economic and financial history of Hong Kong, and the imperialist conflicts in the key Chinese port-cities but very few books have explored French initiatives and performance in this area, beyond diplomacy, geopolitics or cultural issues. In this book, Hubert Bonin confronts arguments about "the great divergence", "the first globalisation", and forms of "economic patriotism". He gauges the competitive edge of French companies and banks, their struggle with British domination (HBSC, Chartered, shipping, trade houses/hongs) and their resistance against competitors from other countries (Japan, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, USA, or Russia).

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