Having been on both the sending and receiving end of similar transactions many times, I have a bit of experience. If he has an account with BofA, Citi, or HSBC, simply depositing money into one of these is the best way to go IMO (BofA is tied to Construction Bank and the other two have branches in China). Otherwise, I've had better luck with Moneygram than Western Union (lower fees and more favorable exchange rates).