Is 'call the tune' an American English word? What does it mean in:?

He wants to help the market grow - creating 1 million jobs in China in the next three years - not stifle it with charges. He will have to tackle profitability if he is really to call the tune.

It means to "be in control" and it comes from the proverb "the one who pays the piper calls the tune." Near as I can find it is a term used often in politcs in Australia but I am still looking. I almost forgot that its origin is from London but it was used throughout Europe. So it is not an American English word but an old English proverb.

Those who pay the piper call the tune

Just an old saying.
In days of yore, square dancers moved under the direction of a "caller" who announced the coming step. He called the tune. It has come to be a metaphor for one who controls the actions of others.