| A colleague once told me that a good
| |
| | centuries, runs several successful
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| indicator of economic confidence was the
| |
| | restaurants. He has Guanxi in abundance
|
| number of construction cranes on the
| |
| | and I have lost count of the number of
|
| skyline. If he's correct, Beijing is
| |
| | times his standing has made things happen
|
| feeling good about its prospects, very
| |
| | which would have been impossible without
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| good in fact.
| |
| | his network. If you trade with China, or
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| According to figures recently published
| |
| | would like to trade with China,
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| by the Associated Press, China's economy
| |
| | underestimate Guanxi at your peril.
|
| grew at a blistering 9.4 percent in the
| |
| | It works at all levels from social
|
| first three quarters of 2005 alone. Yet a
| |
| | engagements through business and into
|
| pan-European business poll by parcel firm
| |
| | officialdom. Western corporations often
|
| UPS revealed that almost a third (31
| |
| | place great emphasis on efficiency and
|
| percent) of UK business leaders do not
| |
| | financial performance as a guide to
|
| consider Asia to be an important trading
| |
| | whether or not to trade with other
|
| or production market.
| |
| | entities. In China, a much higher
|
| To ignore the headlines predicting the
| |
| | importance is put on personal
|
| 'awakening of the Dragon' would be
| |
| | relationships. You do not need to be big
|
| commercial suicide: the world economy is
| |
| | and powerful to forge successful business
|
| undergoing a revolution as a China-led
| |
| | relationships with Chinese executives but
|
| Asia returns to its historic role at the
| |
| | you do need establish the personal
|
| centre of affairs, according to the
| |
| | contacts first.
|
| Financial Times' Martin Wolf.
| |
| | My advice is not to rely on formal
|
| Few of us receive emails in Chinese, but
| |
| | written communications but wherever
|
| I saw one last year which translated
| |
| | possible to talk to prospective contacts
|
| into: "I'd like to spend a million pounds
| |
| | on the phone (using an interpreter if
|
| with your company". A good excuse, I
| |
| | required) and, if at all possible,
|
| thought, to spend January in Beijing
| |
| | arrange to meet in person as soon as you
|
| talking to business representative
| |
| | think you have a mutual interest in
|
| organizations and growing companies who
| |
| | trading. Return flights from London to
|
| want to trade with the west. There were
| |
| | Beijing are around 400 UK and once there,
|
| things I know now which I didn't know
| |
| | accommodation is cheap.
|
| when I boarded my plane from London to
| |
| | Time spent getting to know your potential
|
| Beijing to meet my Chinese contact which
| |
| | partners will pay dividends down the
|
| everyone wishing to do business in China
| |
| | line. Unless your hosts speak English
|
| should be aware of. Let me explain.
| |
| | well, consider hiring a face-to-face
|
| There were no berths available on the
| |
| | interpreter to avoid confusion and help
|
| night train from Beijing to Xian (famous
| |
| | initial meetings run smoothly. Their
|
| for its terracotta army but fast
| |
| | local knowledge of the City will also be
|
| developing other industries) but we soon
| |
| | invaluable as Beijing is huge.
|
| found ourselves settling down to sleep as
| |
| | My time in China was extremely
|
| one suddenly came available. A few days
| |
| | productive. London Translations Limited,
|
| later we dined in a restaurant which was
| |
| | has announced an agreement with Beijing
|
| so busy that there was a queue for tables
| |
| | Sagive Translations Company Limited, one
|
| but strangely we had been directed past
| |
| | of the most respected and experienced
|
| the queue into a private dining room.
| |
| | translation firms in China. This will
|
| Not long after my arrival in Beijing I'd
| |
| | provide a crucial language 'bridge' to
|
| mentioned a long standing back injury was
| |
| | enable trade between our two countries.
|
| troubling me after my flight. The next
| |
| | Crucially they will provide an English to
|
| day I was ushered past the waiting
| |
| | Chinese service and we will translate
|
| patients to be x-rayed immediately by one
| |
| | Chinese into English.
|
| of the City's leading orthopedic
| |
| | Incidentally, I never found out how
|
| surgeons. No money changed hands. The
| |
| | exactly we managed to get seats on a
|
| currency exchanged was based upon Guanxi
| |
| | fully booked train but my host did
|
| (Pronounced "GWAN-shee") which literally
| |
| | mention that the wife of a comedian whose
|
| means "relationships". In practice, "You
| |
| | show was being played on TV in our
|
| scratch my back, I'll scratch yours". The
| |
| | carriage works at the train company and
|
| exchange of favors.
| |
| | the comedian himself regularly eats in
|
| My host, a local businessman whose family
| |
| | his restaurants!
|
| has lived in the same area of Beijing for
| |
| |
|
