Power and Politics
I believe that Michael should go to China. It is obvious that Pierre Hoffman is not ready to give Lucien's position to Michael. If this were the case, he would not be willing to send Michael to China. Michael is not exactly in a good position to be bargaining at this point either, if he ever wants to move up in his career he will have to be willing to move forward and accept new opportunities. This is just the challenge that he needs. While Michael is certainly talented and successful at his job, he lacks the multinational experience that going to China could give him. This would be a wonderful opportunity, not only for him, but for his family as well.
Michael needs to take this opportunity to seriously think about where his career is going and whether or not he wishes to remain with this company. Changing companies at this point in the game could be quite detrimental, especially since Michael seems to have a good working relationship with Pierre Hoffman. Hoffman's decision not to give him Lucien's position most likely has nothing to do with office politics, but rather with his confidence in Michael's skills at this point. Mr. Hoffman most likely feels that sending him to China will give him the skills he will need to excel in the future.
A solution to Michael's wife not wanting to go to China might be for Michael to make the move to China alone, allowing his wife to stay and get ahead in her own career. Their children are older now and do not require a full time stay at home parent. This of course will be a sacrifice for everyone in the short run, but in the long run, the entire family will benefit financially. Michael and Karen need to think about their children's future al ...