Chinese Negotiating Style: Commercial Approaches and Cultural Principles

by Lucian W. Pye

How precisely do the Chinese negotiate contracts and other agreements? Do they follow conventions similar to those of European negotiators? To the Japanese? Is there a pattern or style to their negotiations? These are the types of issues examined and resolved in Pye's guide. The volume is based on extensive interviews with Americans and Japanese who have had considerable first-hand experience negotiating with the Chinese, and an effort has been made to highlight the areas in which there has been the greatest amount of confusion and misunderstanding for American business people.

Pye examines each step in the traditionally long negotiating process, from the first contacts to the responses after agreements have been reached. With an emphasis on cultural considerations and troubleshooting techniques, Pye gives solid, practical advice for business firms and individual negotiators. While the emphasis is on practical business negotiations, anyone concerned with Chinese culture will find much to ponder in this book.

Genres: China, Business

136 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Lucian Wilmot Pye (Chinese: 白魯恂) was an American political scientist, sinologist and comparative politics expert.

Pye focused on the characteristics of specific cultures in forming theories of political development of modernization of Third World nations, rather than seeking universal and overarching theories like most political scientists. As a result, he became regarded as one of the foremost contemporary practitioners and proponents of the concept of political culture and political psychology. Pye was a teacher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 35 years and served on several Asia-related research and policy organizations. He wrote or edited books and served as advisor to Democratic presidential candidates, including John F. Kennedy. Pye died of pneumonia at age 86.

Reviews

[Arjen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting time capsule of international trading negotiations at the start of the opening up of the Chinese economy in the late 1970's. The book discusses the negotiation experiences of American and Japanese businessmen with the newly emerging country that was looking to modernize its economy. Some of the negotiation style seems to have survived to present day.

Search online for a PDF file of the book.

[Will]

excellent - must read if you are going to do business or enter into any negotiation with the Chinese