Smart China Sourcing
China business culture: What part should ‘guanxi’ play in importing from China?
Much is made in some business circles about the importance of guanxi — usually translated as relationships or connections — in China business. However, while there was certainly a time when a company’s success depended almost solely on the quality and quantity of its guanxi, Shawn He Yuxun of MeetChinaBiz maintains those days have passed for industries that have been marketized. He traces the recent history of guanxi and cautions that only those who stand to benefit from a mystified China tout this as an indispensable component for doing business there.
How business is (often) done in China.
All of these experiences happened to me this last month.
First, If you don’t make it, fake it. This is different from the same old “China just copies everything.” Well, sort of different.
We are working for a client that is buying deli products in China for the US market. They want a PET box or baked chicken. We found 8 different suppliers, visited factories, received samples, got bids and finally placed a PO with one of them.
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