| A colleague once told me that a good | | | | Beijing for centuries, runs several |
| indicator of economic confidence was the | | | | successful restaurants. He has Guanxi in |
| number of construction cranes on the | | | | abundance and I have lost count of the |
| skyline. If he's correct, Beijing is | | | | number of times his standing has made |
| feeling good about its prospects, very | | | | things happen which would have been |
| good in fact. | | | | impossible without his network. If you |
| According to figures recently published | | | | trade with China, or would like to trade |
| by the Associated Press, China's economy | | | | with China, underestimate Guanxi at your |
| grew at a blistering 9.4 percent in the | | | | peril. |
| first three quarters of 2005 alone. Yet | | | | It works at all levels from social |
| a pan-European business poll by parcel | | | | engagements through business and into |
| firm UPS revealed that almost a third | | | | officialdom. Western corporations often |
| (31 percent) of UK business leaders do | | | | place great emphasis on efficiency and |
| not consider Asia to be an important | | | | financial performance as a guide to |
| trading or production market. | | | | whether or not to trade with other |
| To ignore the headlines predicting the | | | | entities. In China, a much higher |
| 'awakening of the Dragon' would be | | | | importance is put on personal |
| commercial suicide: the world economy is | | | | relationships. You do not need to be big |
| undergoing a revolution as a China-led | | | | and powerful to forge successful |
| Asia returns to its historic role at the | | | | business relationships with Chinese |
| centre of affairs, according to the | | | | executives but you do need establish the |
| Financial Times' Martin Wolf. | | | | personal contacts first. |
| Few of us receive emails in Chinese, but | | | | My advice is not to rely on formal |
| I saw one last year which translated | | | | written communications but wherever |
| into: "I'd like to spend a million | | | | possible to talk to prospective contacts |
| pounds with your company". A good | | | | on the phone (using an interpreter if |
| excuse, I thought, to spend January in | | | | required) and, if at all possible, |
| Beijing talking to business | | | | arrange to meet in person as soon as you |
| representative organizations and growing | | | | think you have a mutual interest in |
| companies who want to trade with the | | | | trading. Return flights from London to |
| west. There were things I know now which | | | | Beijing are around 400 UK and once |
| I didn't know when I boarded my plane | | | | there, accommodation is cheap. |
| from London to Beijing to meet my | | | | Time spent getting to know your |
| Chinese contact which everyone wishing | | | | potential partners will pay dividends |
| to do business in China should be aware | | | | down the line. Unless your hosts speak |
| of. Let me explain. | | | | English well, consider hiring a |
| There were no berths available on the | | | | face-to-face interpreter to avoid |
| night train from Beijing to Xian (famous | | | | confusion and help initial meetings run |
| for its terracotta army but fast | | | | smoothly. Their local knowledge of the |
| developing other industries) but we soon | | | | City will also be invaluable as Beijing |
| found ourselves settling down to sleep | | | | is huge. |
| as one suddenly came available. A few | | | | My time in China was extremely |
| days later we dined in a restaurant | | | | productive. London Translations Limited, |
| which was so busy that there was a queue | | | | has announced an agreement with Beijing |
| for tables but strangely we had been | | | | Sagive Translations Company Limited, one |
| directed past the queue into a private | | | | of the most respected and experienced |
| 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 | | | | enable trade between our two countries. |
| was troubling me after my flight. The | | | | Crucially they will provide an English |
| next day I was ushered past the waiting | | | | to Chinese service and we will translate |
| patients to be x-rayed immediately by | | | | Chinese into English. |
| one 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 |
| means "relationships". In practice, "You | | | | whose show was being played on TV in our |
| scratch my back, I'll scratch yours". | | | | carriage works at the train company and |
| The exchange of favors. | | | | the comedian himself regularly eats in |
| My host, a local businessman whose | | | | his restaurants! |
| family has lived in the same area of | | | | |