In recent months, we have been witness to the growing tensions that exist between the U.S. and China as it pertains to trade and their agreements. It is apparent that the renegotiation of these existing agreements will be the final outcome and resolution that will lead to future harmony between these two trade giants. Some of the challenges that the negotiating teams will be facing will be the cultural divide that exists between the two nations as well as the complexity of the language barrier that exists.
Even though China has made it a practice to educate themselves in order to be able to converse in English, therefore, that particular aspect won’t be as critical. (Moran et al., pg. 53) The cultural piece of communication is where there can be a significant gap. The Chinese prefer to develop the relationships that they have with the people that they do business with, which can take prolonged periods of time. (Moran et al., pg. 49) Whereas Americans are more inclined to work on a linear basis when it comes to the relationships they have with potential business partners. (Moran et al., pg. 48) Also, if Americans wish to be ingratiating to their potential Chinese trade partners, they need to be able to relate more with the collectivism that the Chinese tend to have towards their countrymen. (Moran et al., pg. 59)
The relationship that exists between the U.S. and China is one that has taken years to develop. The language barrier does continue to be an issue. Not surprising when you consider the fact that China experiences that very same issue within its own borders. China currently has approximately 56 ethnic groups as well as over 80 dialects still being used today. (Li, Y., pg. 115) So, as Americans, we shouldn’t expect to be able to walk into negotiations without expecting some form of barrier when it comes to language. It is likely that translators would be used in order to help overcome the language as well as the cultural divide that exists. Translators aren’t always the best tool to use, as they cannot translate word for word, however, their insight into the cultural inflections could prove to be invaluable for each side so as to be able to interpret the progress that is being made throughout the negotiations. (Moran et al., pg. 75)
There are other elements that will prove to be hurdles throughout the negotiation. Cultural prejudices will definitely rise to the surface immediately as the Chinese tend to view Americans as individualistic and overly tolerant to open criticism of their own society, not to mention their view on external cultures is that of superiority. As for the Americans, they will most likely approach the Chinese contingent as being a group of individuals that have no concept of market freedom and freedom of speech, without considering the fact that the Chinese culture is probably more suited to communist rule than any other on the planet, cue to their collectivism and desire to care for their own within a family. (Li, Y., pg. 121)
Cultural differences will always be a factor when it comes to the ongoing relationship between the U.S. and China, especially as the world seems to get “smaller” on a daily basis with the internet and communications developments that continue to push the envelope of our understanding. Even now, we have students from China who are able to attend American colleges and universities through the use of the internet and satellite technology. The barriers seem to be breaking down, but it is important to realize that our individual cultures should not be sacrificed for the sake of expediency and our culture is what distinguishes us from one another. Something that should not be taken or disregarded lightly.
References:
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.
Li, Y., Cross-Cultural Communications within American and Chinese Colleagues in Multinational Organizations, Proceedings of the New York State Communication Association: Vol. 2010, Article 7. Web. Retrieved: February 7, 2020. Link: https://docs.rwu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1015&context=nyscaproceedings
Hello Claude,
Great post. Chapter 13, Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014, explains that China’s cultural values are knowledge and education. China has the largest thinking tank in the world, the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Moran, Abramson, Moran, 2014, p. 417. Do you think having academic organizations like this academy helps China interact more effectively with others?
-Miranda
References:
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing cultural differences (9th ed.). Oxford: Routledge.
Hi Claude,
I wanted to add to my above commentary by pointing out the very important concept of “face” in China. Face is easily described as loss of respect. As Westerners we cannot really understand how deeply face is a part of the Chinese culture.
Face can be given as well as taken, states Drake (2019) “Asian cultures emphasize a concern with loss of Face for the individual personally, and for others as well. For example, a son would never disagree with his father in public, a colleague would never criticize another in public, nor would a subordinate point out an error made by a superior.”
Drake, B. (2019, June 30). “What is ‘face’ in asian culture and why should we care?” Retrieved February 15, 2020, from https://internationalman.com/articles/what-is-face-in-asian-culture-and-why-should-we-care/
Hi Claude,
I read your post with great interest. I have been working with and managing teams in China for the past 16 years. The divide between our two countries regarding communication is significant.
One area of verbal communication that is often overlooked and causes so much trouble for those who aren’t native speakers of either language is the intrinsic meanings and messages we deliver coming from a high context culture to a low context culture.
I learned about this the hard way. I was in China in the process of creating a WOFE ( wholly-owned foreign entity) for my company. I was meeting with our China legal partners and we were discussing the capitalization of our venture. In order to create a WOFE, a US MNC must have a certain level of investment cash in the Chinese banking system. I asked for what was the lowest threshold to maintain and operate our business and our attornies gave a me a figure – let’s just say it was 50,000 USD.
Our attorneys also represented us in employment law matters too. One of the issues I had in opening this operation was that in Shanghai it was highly desirable for employees to gain a Shanghai residents’ card. For a smaller company it had proven difficult and was preventing us from hiring the engineers we needed.
Long story, short story we got the WOFE done and I moved toward solving the issue of residency. In the US when someone asks us a question – “Why is this software release late?” we would supply many different answers or reasons surrounding the delay and alert our managers if we felt there were underlying problems. In Chinese culture, they will only answer what is specifically asked. While they might be aware of other impacts – if the specific question was not asked it would not receive an answer.
When I asked our attorney what it would take to insure our employees could get a Shanghai resident’s card she told me, “You would have had to capitalize the Company at 60,000 instead of 50,000.” Imagine my response! We had been working on these issues for months and she was well aware of the difficulties we were facing. When I asked her why she hadn’t told me initially, she responded that I did not ask her that question!
You can see how easily our own assumptions for understanding can get in the way.
Best,
Haley