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their facial expressions, and that they have too many body expressions.
On the other hand, the qualities that we value such as “being quiet” and
“having no facial expressions” are perceived by them as “being dull”
and “expressionless.” This kind of situation often leads to unnecessary

confusion and misunderstanding.
The Chinese value interpersonal relationships, followed by
morality and law. Since the Chinese economy as well as it relevant laws

have only been developing for a number of years, there is not yet a
complete set of business laws available. Therefore, the implementation
of a contract often relies on interpersonal relationships. The people in
mainland China highly value “harmonious relationships”, and their

leaders would never reveal “bad news”. Negative news would only be
announced by an opponent’s assistant after a negotiation has ended,
especially during the feast that is held after a contract has been signed.

Therefore, in order to reduce possible risks during the initial stages of a
negotiation, you should clearly state that new negotiations would be
needed when something unexpected has happened that changes the

agreements.
The Chinese people do business based on their relationships, which
would be used to pressure a party who hesitates and to accuse him of

being neglectful of their relationships. Many Chinese people are willing
to shake a foreigner’s hand, but they wait to see if the foreigner reaches
out his hand first. According to traditional Chinese manners, you should
nod when you greet someone, unlike the Japanese people who make a

90 degree bow. Chinese are natural born business people and they love a
good bargain. Therefore, their business model is to set a high price first
and make concessions slowly.

Techniques in Negotiating with the Chinese
1.Establish Mutual Trust
In order to work with the Chinese, “trust” is the most fundamental
element. The Chinese people believe that a long-term business

relationship cannot be established without trust. On the contrary,
Westerners, especially Americans, are able to separate business
relationships from personal relationships, and they are also able to

conduct business with those whom they do not yet trust.
2.Identify the Decision Makers
Generally speaking, when a Chinese negotiator consults with a

Western negotiator, he would need to report to his direct supervisor after
gathering information before he can come back with new questions and