Can Blacks Achieve Business Success in China?

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Perkins documents his experiences on his . According to Perkins, in China, African Americans are regarded as foreigners and are confused with Africans. “Most Chinese have never seen a black foreigner,” he said. “They’ll just stare at you.”

Like other Americans, Perkins has difficulty with Mandarin, but added that many multinational companies “take great steps with translators and do a great job streamlining things for foreigners who don’t speak the language.  That makes things so much easier for their meetings and the business that they conduct,” he said.

Perkins advises anyone traveling to China to take along business cards (also called “name cards” in China) printed in both Mandarin (or Cantonese) and English. He also recommends that business people learn about the Chinese concept of guanxi (pronounced gwan-chi). “Once you have a trusting relationship with a Chinese business person, it’s said that that person has an obligation to help you, to avoid losing face, or self-respect,” he said. “But then, on the other hand, it’s your obligation to do him a favor as well.  You’re doing favors for each other. This is something that’s deeply ingrained in the culture.”

In addition, business people should expect to be asked questions that wouldn’t ordinarily be asked in the West. “The people you are working with in China may ask how old you are and how much you earn,” explained Perkins.  “These things are [considered] rude in the Western world, but in China, this is a matter of regular conversation. If you don’t want to answer, you smile and ignore the question, and most Chinese people will understand,” he said.

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