By Jack LeBlanc

My resourceful friend Smile had already put me in contact with Jackson Long, a trader in building material and, according to local rumour, a person very well connected to the inside gangways of the Chongqing political elite. Long had named himself after the ‘most famous’ of American singers, according to Long: ‘The illustrious megastar, Michael Jackson.’

Our first contact was in the city centre, where he ran his building- materials empire. Most building contractors worth the name had to visit his offices to buy anything from bricks to bathroom appliances. Sitting on the sixth floor of a white-tiled office building garnished with blue windows, Long’s headquarters were something of a turn-off. Read the rest of “The great glass curtain walls of China. Part 2″ or post a comment

Many articles here are talking about how to find good suppliers, but ARE YOU A GOOD BUYER?

China is a big country, but in business it is a small world, worldwide. If you cooperate with multiple suppliers, don’t forget that Mr. A might know Mr. B also. If Mr. A thinks you are bad business, he might tell Mr. B., spelling damage for your operation. Looking to avoid such a situation? Here are a few tips on how to be a…

Read the rest of “Are you a good buyer?” or post a comment >>

By Jack LeBlanc

Successful negotiations in China require great reserves of the most precious commodity of all: Time. The ability to squander it as if you had a lifetime to wait will earn you the goodwill of your Chinese partners.

Extra credit points can be won by adapting to the sometimes- unusual wishes of your host. When patience, perseverance and flexibility have become part of your China assets, success may finally be yours. But sometimes – only sometimes – ignorance is bliss….

Chongqing, Wednesday March 11th, 1990, 15:21
Read the rest of “The great glass curtain walls of China. Part 1″ or post a comment

By Navjot Singh 

Guangdong Province is at the forefront when it comes to attracting foreign investment into China. 

Companies are increasingly looking to emerging markets like China as a vital source of growth. The problem is these companies often lack an effective strategy for identifying which provinces within China to do business with. For any senior executive sitting in the ivory towers of their offices in London or New York, China will look like a highly tempting market. Immediately people think of 1.3 billion consumers, however they forget how easy it is to fall into a corporate trap, which if and when the wrong decision is made, that can lead to a negative result. Read the rest of “Doing Business in Guangdong Province” or post a comment

By Paul Denlinger 

Following on the global credit crisis, many have come to me to ask how these changes will affect China. As I have said earlier, China and the US are two sides to the same coin, and it pays to look at them as one economy, as this Newsweek article does. It goes without saying that this crisis will have a profound effect on China, and I’m not optimistic about the capability of the Chinese central government in Beijing to deal with it as quickly as it should.

Michael Pettis, who lives and teaches in Beijing, has been a persistent advocate of stimulating more domestic spending from Chinese consumers, and continues to advocate that position. I agree that this is necessary; I don’t think that this will happen quickly or on an even basis. Read the rest of “The New Investment Rules For China” or post a comment