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This segment in the Assignment:China series focuses on China during the 1990s, when the ongoing crackdown in the wake of the Tiananmen Square protests made it difficult for the American press corps to meet people, travel, or get beyond the stifling bureaucratic obstacles. Reporters and their sources faced continuing surveillance and harassment. However, as the economy took off, the climate for journalists began to improve, and by the late 90s, the China beat entered what one American correspondent described as its "golden age."

In 2008, in honor of hosting the Olympic Games, Beijing pledged to allow a freer atmosphere for the international press, lifting many long-standing restrictions on the movements and activities of foreign correspondents. However, the year also saw several other traumatic events that reshaped the narrative of the China story, thereby reshaping the experience of the foreign press as well. "Tremors" is an account of what it was like to cover the remarkable year of 2008.

Shih and Zhang discuss the large government debts that have accumulated in China, especially at the local level and the resources available to the government to meet its obligations and to foster continued economic expansion.

Frank Lavin, the CEO and founder of Export Now, draws on his experience with the company as well as his background in China banking, trade negotiations, diplomacy. and market entry strategy to share techniques that companies can use to compete in China e-Commerce.