Guest hitoallusa Posted July 2, 2011 Posted July 2, 2011 I've always wondered whether anyone here do business in China. A friend of mine is dealing with a very complicated lawsuit. It sounds like a mess there. You really have to be careful there and you have to really understand their economic and political systems to survive. I heard that you have to bribe a lot of people there to do business. Also you need a consultant like Henry Kissinger to smooth things out and to set up a good network. Henry Kissinger's beautified view of China is reflected clearly in his new book On China. So what's your experience there doing business? Quote
Members marcanthony Posted July 3, 2011 Members Posted July 3, 2011 I've always wondered whether anyone here do business in China. A friend of mine is dealing with a very complicated lawsuit. It sounds like a mess there. You really have to be careful there and you have to really understand their economic and political systems to survive. I heard that you have to bribe a lot of people there to do business. Also you need a consultant like Henry Kissinger to smooth things out and to set up a good network. Henry Kissinger's beautified view of China is reflected clearly in his new book On China. So what's your experience there doing business? This is my experience... and hence a one-time experience: 1) They are smarter than you 2) They have fewer scruples than you 3) They have home court advantage and they aren't afraid to use it 4) "Intellectual property" is not in their dictionary 5) If you manage to overcome 1,2,3, and 4, the government can take everything you have at anytime anyway. That being said... obviously there's a wild wild west (or east) of opportunity out there. Just go in with eyes wide open. Quote
Guest EXPAT Posted July 3, 2011 Posted July 3, 2011 That's a very good description. It's very important to hire local representatives to handle a lot of the cultural issues in the business world. it's worth the investment. Quote
Members TampaYankee Posted July 3, 2011 Members Posted July 3, 2011 That's a very good description. It's very important to hire local representatives to handle a lot of the cultural issues in the business world. it's worth the investment. Three things I would never do: Business in China Business in Russia Buying a strip club in MTL on my own. Lots of great potential in each. Potential in great success, potential in great failure. Not a level playing field in any of them. Certainly not for an alien. Especially true in China and Russia. Quote
Members RA1 Posted July 3, 2011 Members Posted July 3, 2011 Without actually knowing or having direct experience, I have to agree with marcanthony and his description. There have been many countries to include current day Russia and China that seem to have these kinds of attitudes and they are entirely "scary". I am nervous that Cessna and many other large companies are doing business in China, willy nilly, or so it seems. That is no way to correct the US destruction of manufacuring bases. If our folks are not employed, how can they pay the taxes, fees, etc. that are now on the horizon? Answer: They cannot. The US has a very large economy but it must take the bull by the horns and start to assert ourselves in world diplomacy and business. I do not have any confidence in the current administration or either party to do so, sorry to say. Best regards, RA1 Quote
Members marcanthony Posted July 3, 2011 Members Posted July 3, 2011 Three things I would never do: Buying a strip club in MTL on my own. This one would be tons of fun, though! Well maybe in the past.... Quote
Guest hitoallusa Posted July 4, 2011 Posted July 4, 2011 Thanks. I have worked with many Chinese and personally I don't have anything against any of them. I like their persevering and hard working life style. An issue I have noticed is that the Chinese government is so corrupt that even Chinese here don't want to go back to China and find jobs here. They often succeed in doing so since they tend to take over many jobs and work hard. Henry Kissinger fails to point that out in his new book and wonder whether he cann't write about it since he has to maintain a good relationship with China (the communist party). Anyways, thank you for your posts. This is my experience... and hence a one-time experience: 1) They are smarter than you 2) They have fewer scruples than you 3) They have home court advantage and they aren't afraid to use it 4) "Intellectual property" is not in their dictionary 5) If you manage to overcome 1,2,3, and 4, the government can take everything you have at anytime anyway. That being said... obviously there's a wild wild west (or east) of opportunity out there. Just go in with eyes wide open. Quote