China, like India, is more than a country. China is a civilization. The development of China has not only affected its own population, but has also affected people in the other parts of the world. To better understand this development, its beginning and where it can be expected to reach, it seems important to know more about this country.
China has always attracted foreign investment, throughout history. This situation has been confirmed of late. However, the long history, the cultural differences and the diversity of their cultures in the different provinces make it difficult for foreigners to understand the situation. The Chinese can be difficult to understand, especially on the political, judicial, economical and commercial fronts.
This document will give you a general idea about the behavior of the Chinese, what should be known before any negotiation, what needs to be taken care of and some advice on how to negotiate in good terms, correctly and efficiently.
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[...] The energy and the time that we spend to write the most accurate contract that we could, is energy and time not spent for courtesy and conviviality efforts, which we should display all the time in China to deserve their trust. Even if China is developing and opening their economical fields to foreigners, we should not expect a big evolution in their mentality. China only borrows some western methods and techniques to adapt it freely to its own aim. A "state of law" revolution would mean for China to question its own conception about "human government", which constitutes the basis and the originality of its culture. [...]
[...] Jurists are often looked at with suspicion Communication and information exchanges Because of strategic and cultural reasons, the Chinese interlocutors use withholding information as an instrument of power. This situation could arise from different reasons: modesty, indecency to show their emotion emphasis placed on the indirect game distrust on what is not well mastered or known Western people have few signs to allow the Chinese to know where they stand in the business. Even if they do detect that things are not going smoothly, they will not able to understand why. [...]
[...] This will remind you that you cannot change the way China negotiates with impunity Negotiate concretely The Chinese negotiate normally consists of starting a relation, establishing a convergence of interest, appreciating the viability of the project anddeciding to go further only after that. It is a period where the questioning is free, direct and permitted by the strategy of the "open door"; a method which proves to be efficient to get relevant information. It is when you go to the negotiation step that you should close it. [...]
[...] Do not let yourself be destabilized by the difference of tempo: "stop and go" for Chinese (alternation of slow and fast period) Do some global compromise and not a compromise for each discord point Write a contract that is equitable for both sides Do not wait for any gratefulness from an unreasonable commercial effort Offer gifts to your interlocutors without opening those you received from them and do not thank them too much without a good reason (typical French behavior) Advices Why should you choose an agent to negotiate in China? [...]
[...] A foreigner's ability to respond to it is what will determine the efficacy and efficiency of that person in China Chinese Culture When you are working in China, you will notice quickly that there is not a Chinese, who represents the Chinese culture on the whole. Each Chinese interlocutor comes from a precise province, works in a precise domain, and is born of this generation. So, it is essential to refer to a more precise analysis of the Chinese behavior Heritage of regional profiles China can be divided into three large cultural areas: - North: to the north of the Huai River in the north of the Jiangsu South-east littoral with the province of Jiangsu to the Vietnamese border Inland: from Jiangxi to Sichuan and Yunnan Main traits of characters: Although it is difficult to generalize the main character of a nation, I propose to you, a general idea of the main traits of characters in the three main areas in China. [...]
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