Is Bribery Really Necessary? July 28, 2008
Posted by Aaron Wong in Business Culture, China, Doing Business In China.5 comments
I was catching up on some business news last night when I came across an article from the Salt Lake Tribune from July 19, 2008 titled “On the job: U.S. managers must learn Chinese business rules” by Anita Bruzzese, who interviews Erik Duerring, director of consulting services in Asia for Development Dimensions International, Inc.:
http://www.sltrib.com/ci_9933254?IADID=Search-www.sltrib.com-www.sltrib.com
I thought it was a great article that was very informative and beneficial until I came to one point:
Corruption is a normal part of doing business. ”Ethical” may have a different meaning to the Chinese than it does to Westerners. For example, large expensive gifts to a Chinese company are not seen as bribery.”
Although corruption is an issue that the Chinese are facing at all levels of business and government, they are certainly putting in a lot of effort to cut down on corruption. What shocked me the most about this article was that the the director was almost promoting the fact that you have to get involved in bribery and corruption in order to succeed in China.
The truth is people in China are being executed for corruption and accepting bribes in China. Why risk the chance of getting caught in China by bribing Chinese officials and business executives and facing severe penalties in the process.
For example, last year the former head of the Chinese food and drug safety department, Zheng Xiaoyu, was put to death for corruption amid a series of health scares concerning Chinese products. While this may be an extreme example of the results of corruption and bribery, any type of punishment by the Chinese government can’t be pleasant.
I will never recommend to anyone that they bribe anybody in China. There are more ethical ways of doing business and succeeding. When you have to get involved in this risky practice to get ahead, you may be risking you life!
China Cheerleaders for Olympics July 25, 2008
Posted by Aaron Wong in China, Olympics.add a comment
I just read an interesting article to show another sign that China is trying to show their humanitarian side during the Olympic games is their effort in organizing a group of 200,000 volunteer cheerleaders to root for any participating national team during the Olympics.
“Most of the volunteer cheerleaders – which include many retired civil servants – though, have never shaken pom poms in sassy pleated skirts, let alone roused a crowd with victory jumps.”
This article also mentions that 28 groups of elite dancers who went through intense competition to perform as cheerleaders, acrobats, and dancers. To train this group of cheerleaders, they have called upon cheerleaders from the New England Patriots.
“Some routines are self-choreographed and throw in some Chinese flair. One group squats and kicks with red fans, flicking them open and shut with a loud whir to Asian-infused techno.
Another squad twirls nunchucks before switching to pompoms mid-song. “Everyone knows cheerleading is a Western activity, but we hope we can find a Chinese way to do it [and] show the world,” says He He, who sports long, dyed-red hair and a sparkly belly-button ring.”
This is going to be very interesting to see during the Olympics!
Read the article: http://sports.yahoo.com/olympics/news?slug=ys-cheerleaders070808&prov=yhoo&type=lgns
China’s Preparation For The Olympics July 25, 2008
Posted by Aaron Wong in China, Olympics.add a comment
As China is preparing for the Olympics in 15 days, the government has come out with new Olympic propaganda to encourage citizens to be “civilized” when interacting with foreigners. What is title the “8 Don’t Asks”, Chinese should not ask foreigners the following:
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Don’t ask about income or expenses.
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Don’t ask about age.
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Don’t ask about love life or marriage.
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Don’t ask about health.
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Don’t ask about someone’s home or address.
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Don’t ask about personal experience.
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Don’t ask about religious beliefs or political views.
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Don’t ask what someone does.
So what exactly should they be talking about with foreigners? This is a worthy attempt by the Chinese government to keep the peace during the Olympics.
The link below shows of other Olympic propaganda the Chinese government has come out with including how to treat handicapped people and atheletes:
http://www.peacefulrise.org/2008/07/18/interact-with-foreigners-olympics-propaganda
When in China, Do As The Chinese Do July 18, 2008
Posted by Aaron Wong in Business Culture, China, Doing Business In China.add a comment
We’ve all heard the saying “When in Rome, do as the Romans do”. This means that when we go to some place new, you should do as the people do who are from the place you are visiting.
However, common complaints heard from many people who are trying to do business in China include:
- The Chinese do things all “wrong”
- They are constantly changing their minds
- Why won’t they…
- It can’t possibly be our problem, because we Americans (Westerners) do things “effectively” and they need to learn to do it our way.
This is a very passive way of thinking. For some reason, we Americans (other Western countries included) are very proud and feel we are better than every other country on the planet. Why do you think we need to police the whole world? Regardless of that fact, we feel like our way is the best way and that any other way is wrong.
Have you thought for a minute that their way, the Chinese way, could also be right? The Chinese have the fastest growing economy in the world, the world wants China to produce the majority of their products, and they are hosting the Olympics in less than 4 weeks. Have we thought for a minute that their way is also an option?
The way to success in China or any other country is to focus on results. Focus on what you are their to accomplish and less on how you accomplish it. When we get caught up in the how, then we start focusing on things that we cannot control. When we focus on the what (results), then we are more willing to adapt to their way while focusing less on the uncontrollable things.
The Chinese will be Chinese and Americans will be Americans. Adapt or fail. Remember the saying is “When in Rome, do as the Romans do” and not “When in Rome, force the Romans to do as you do”.
Is China Safe? July 15, 2008
Posted by Aaron Wong in China, Olympics.add a comment
The Summer Olympics in China are only 25 days away. I really can’t wait for that day. I am excited that China will finally be able to show off itself as a country of international prominence. I am also excited that people will actually see how advanced and civilized they really are.
A topic of interest to Olympic travelers and athletes is the safety issue. Can China protect all the tourists, athletes, and citizens that will inundate regions of China for the Olympics for over 2 weeks?
Recently, an incident of 10 Australians and their local translator being held hostage in Xian, China, Tibet accusing the Chinese government of human rights crimes, and other similar incidents have caused quite a stir in the media to ask ourselves, “Is China safe?”
The Olympics are only 25 days away and embarrassing incident hurts more than helps the overall image of China. However, from what we are told, incidents like this are rare in China. I say from what we are told, because it is common for these type of things to be under-reported or un-reported in China. The reason why we heard anything this time was probably because it involved foreigners.
From my experience, China is very safe. The only real thing you need to be worried about are pickpockets and haggling the right price for cheap gifts on the streets. As long as you stay away from sensitive issues, such as politics, human rights, Taiwanese independence, etc. you should be just fine.
Reaching Out To The Chinese Market July 4, 2008
Posted by Aaron Wong in China, Doing Business In China.add a comment
I was in Barnes and Noble on New Years Day browsing the business section trying to find some new business books to read. As I was perusing the area, I noticed a large amount of books talking about China and how to do business in China. This got me thinking about why China is such the big thing today. As a Chinese speaker, this is great for me because I am able to help those interested in expanding into China or other Chinese-speaking markets do it successfully.
There are currently more Chinese speakers throughout the entire world than any other spoken language. You always hear of the 1.3 billion in China, but do you know about the 23 million in Taiwan, 6 million in Hong Kong, 3 million in the United States, 1.5 million in Canada, and the millions throughout the rest of the globe? What does all of this mean? What I tell my clients is expansion into a Chinese-speaking market does not only include China, but all the other markets mentioned above.
It’s not enough to just translate into Chinese and slap a “Made in USA” logo on a product and expect immediate, positive response from the Chinese. With the increase in wealth of Chinese, comes increased demand. It does not matter if you are targeting China, Taiwan, or even the United States; Chinese have high expectations and demands for products. In the book China CEO written by Juan Antonio Fernandez and Laurie Underwood, they interview 20 international business leaders who do business in China, including General Motors, British Petroleum, Coca-Cola, and Microsoft. They mention a story of “a crowd of incredulous onlookers and news-hungry reporters gather[ed] around a sparkling-white Mercedes SLK230 convertible sedan. Given the okay from the car’s businessman owner, two young men with sledge-hammers approach the car. As the TV cameras roll, the men swing at the car, shattering the windshield, twisting the steering wheel. Within minutes, the US $85,000 sports car is dented and battered. The reason: car owner Wang Sheng is angry at Mercedes-Benz for selling him what he considers a sub-par automobile.”
The Chinese market is an extremely lucrative market if you approach it the right way. One of the most important parts of tapping this market is the communication—saying in words what you are meaning to say. There are some companies in the past who did not approach this communication in the right way. For example:
Z. When Coca-Cola first went into China, they translated their name to translate as “bite the wax tadpole”. They did not find this out until some time after they had went into market. Coke has retranslated their name, with the same sounds, to mean “tasty Cola”.
Y. When AERO Translations was hired to rectify one of our client’s translation mishaps made by their previous translation provider, we discovered that there were many inconsistencies in word usage and tense with a generally poor style translation. For example, the word “distributor” was translated 3 different ways into words meaning distributor, supplier, and provider for the same entity.
Chinese take a lot of pride in their language and when mistranslations occur; it is not taken lightly by them. Even Hong Kong, Mainland China, and Taiwan each have their own word usages that are specific only to that country. Not to mention also the fact that in China, they use Simplified Chinese and Hong Kong and Taiwan each use Traditional Chinese. This is can be an article in itself. Due to the political situation of each of these areas, some Chinese may take offense if Mainland Chinese word usage is used for a market in Taiwan. For example:
X. The Chinese word for bicycle in Mainland China is zixingche, in Taiwan the word is jiaotache, and in Hong Kong it is danche.
This sort of cultural sensitivity is essential in tapping this market. It is best to hire a Chinese consultant to help you wade through all of these cultural differences and help you portray the correct image of your company. The Chinese are very accepting and are drawn to those foreign entities that are culturally aware of their needs and desires.
Crash Course on China-Taiwan Relations For Dummies July 2, 2008
Posted by Aaron Wong in China, Doing Business In China, Taiwan.add a comment
When I want to get a reaction out of my wife, I will joke with her that she is “Chinese”. You see, my wife is from Taiwan and grew up in a home who supports the DPP or the Democratic Progressive Party, the major party in Taiwan who supports Taiwanese independence. These people, including my wife, considers herself “Taiwanese”. Although my wife has been to China and greatly respects Mainland China and its people, any political talk about Cross-Strait Relations is sure to get a reaction out of her.
When it comes to doing business in China or Taiwan, it is very important to understand the background of this conflict. You typically will not bring this subject up with Chinese or Taiwanese, but it is almost a given that you will know something about it. Just remember the sensitivity of this subject and be wary of who you talk to about it.
Background
Prior to the Japanese invasion of China during WWII, the Communist Party, led by Mao Zedong, and the Nationalist Party, led by Chiang Kai-shek, were at war with each other to control China. When the Japanese invaded China, the Nationalists and Communists decided to come together to fight the Japanese. When war ended with the Japanese, almost immediately civil war once again broke out between the Nationalists and Communists. And for the next 5 years they battled until the Nationalists lost and fled to Formosa or Taiwan.
Current
This topic, depending on who you are talking to, is a very sensitive subject. It grew more intense when Taiwan’s previous President Chen Shui-pien, whose term ended in May, threatened many times to declare Taiwanese independence. This is a political no-no for China and justification to declare war on the island. What complicates the situation more is that the US is also stuck in the middle of this conflict. When Taiwan was kicked out of the UN and replaced with China, the US signed an agreement with Taiwan to protect them from any military threat. If China attacks Taiwan, then the US is obligated to help defend Taiwan.
Even with all this potential of all out war, a typical Chinese or Taiwanese does not allow this to obstruct their business with each other. A lot of business is done between both regions, not counting the amount of business the US does with them. For most people you talk to keeping the status quo is most favorable, even if deep down the Chinese think Taiwan is a part of China or that the Taiwanese want independence.
Let’s face it, we need China for manufacturing, China needs the US and Taiwan for the investment, and Taiwan needs the US for the investment and China for a location to set up their factories.
