| The main characteristic about business in China is that | | | | and listening to the Chinese side, and finishing your |
| it's relationship driven, this means that in China you | | | | encounter, if you want to continue your business |
| have to develop a relationship before you do business, | | | | relationship, by presenting the Chinese side with a small |
| whereas in western cultures you often do a | | | | gift. |
| transaction and then develop a relationship. There are | | | | When it comes to doing business in China, you will |
| certain characteristics about relationships in China | | | | need language skills, which is why it's recommended |
| otherwise known as guanxi, first of all they tend to be | | | | you employ an interpreter and even a Chinese |
| reciprocal in nature, so if someone grants you a | | | | employee to talk to the Chinese and communicate |
| favour, you should grant one back, also when you | | | | with the Chinese in a language they understand so that |
| maintain relationships in China, you have to pay | | | | there are no misunderstandings. Remember, things like |
| attention to other aspects such as whether the | | | | technical jargon and humor will not translate very well. |
| Chinese side looses faith and that's going to damage a | | | | It would also be a good idea to have a couple of |
| relationship. You also need to pay attention to | | | | pages from your website translated into Chinese along |
| hierarchy as this is another aspect which is important in | | | | with your business cards. |
| Chinese culture, treating people according to their rank | | | | Whether you're going to China for leisure reasons or |
| is important. | | | | for business reasons, you still need a visa. The |
| In a first meeting the exchange of business cards is a | | | | particular characteristics of a business visa is that you |
| really important part of doing business, in this case you | | | | need either a letter of invitation from a Chinese |
| should be prepared and have your business card | | | | company or a visa notification form from an issuing |
| translated into Chinese, paying particular attention to | | | | authority in China and it's that which you use along with |
| getting your rank and title translated accurately as | | | | your application form to go to the China visa |
| these are very important in Chinese business cultures. | | | | application service center in London or the Chinese |
| When you give and receive a business card, you | | | | consulates in Edinburgh or Manchester. There are |
| should do so with two hands as this shows great | | | | different types of business visa that you can apply for, |
| respect to the person that you're meeting. Other | | | | including single entry, double entry, or multiple entry so |
| important aspects on how you can leave a good | | | | you have to think about how often you're going to be |
| impression with the Chinese side are knowing a bit of | | | | going to China throughout the year. If you have a letter |
| Chinese for example and also showing some formality | | | | of invitation, it may need to state which type of visa |
| during a meeting in terms of presenting your company | | | | you're going to have to apply for. |