Abstract

This article reports the results of a survey of foreign business executives in Beijing and subsequent interviews with U.S. -based China trade executives, and describes the Chinese negotiating process. The Beijing-based managers identify pricing, servicing, training for Chinese personnel, and technology-related issues as the key business matters they face. They are also confronted by the larger bureaucratic issues of uncertainty about decision making and the difficulty of access to Chinese end-users. At the same time, the Deng regime's economic reform program has led to decentralization of economic authority and the elevation of younger, more technically competent officials. Accordingly, while the older bureaucratic Chinese business style remains an important feature of the business environment, the reforms appear to be promoting more modern business practices in China.