Business Relationships

Business in China is viewed as relationship based, where as business in Western countries is viewed as transaction based

This being the case, it is often useful to view business ventures as relationships first, and as a venture second

With a good network of contacts in China , almost anything can be accomplished-- Guanxi is how things get done.

Face is important in any culture, but extremely so in China

Losing face, saving face and giving face is very important and should be taken into consideration at all times. Loosing your temper, confronting someone, putting someone on the spot, arrogant behavior, or failing to accord proper respect can cause a loss of face

To understand how business decisions are made, sometimes knowing family relationships is more important than knowing the organizational structure of the company

Interaction between business partners is more important than written documents

Expect to make frequent trips to China . Showing up once a year does not show commitment to the relationship.

Non-business activities show that the focus is on the relationship and not simply on a piece of paper

Learn to think in terms of 'both' or 'and' rather than 'either/or'

Business discussions are best left until a certain amount of familiarity has been established with your counterpart.

Take the time to slow down and try to understand the Chinese way of doing things.

Hard-driving, get-right-to-the-point tactics usually backfire

'No problem' does not necessarily mean an easy road

Learn that sometimes 'yes' means 'no', or 'I'm listening'