桥

The Asia Bridge

Negotiate

Vol. I · West ↔ Asia

Pick two countries. Get the cheat sheet.

→

Tap to change. This is your whole briefing.

01Cultural Key (the basics)

China

🇨🇳China

Dossier · Vol. I

关系

Cultural key · 🇨🇳 China

Relationship-building is the foundation of all business

Guānxì

02Scenario

General

What are you preparing for?

03Phrasebook (what to say)

Phrasebook

§ I

01
幸会
Xìnghuì
Pleased to meet you. First meetings — more formal than 你好
02
合作愉快
Hézuò yúkuài
Happy cooperation. After signing deals or closing meetings
03
请多关照
Qǐng duō guānzhào
Please look after me. Shows humility when starting a partnership

04Compare (you vs them)

Switzerland ↔ China

Culture gap map

Same words, different signal.

§ II

Comms

Watch

🇨🇭🇨🇳

DirectContext

🇨🇭 You: Direct, precise, multilingual

🇨🇳 Them: Indirect, context-heavy

"We will study it" or "we will consider it" often means the issue needs internal alignment or is not acceptable as framed.

Hierarchy

Watch

🇨🇭🇨🇳

FlatSeniority

🇨🇭 You: Flat, consensus-based

🇨🇳 Them: Hierarchical, top-down

The person writing the document may not be the person allowed to approve it.

Gifts

Watch

🇨🇭🇨🇳

PracticalSymbolic

🇨🇭 You: Modest, practical

🇨🇳 Them: Symbolic, avoid clocks/white

A late reopening of terms can be part of relationship-based negotiation, not necessarily bad faith.

Meetings

Watch

🇨🇭🇨🇳

AgendaRelationship

🇨🇭 You: Punctual, agenda-driven

🇨🇳 Them: Relationship-first, banquets

Silence in a meeting may protect face and allow senior people to set the direction.

Decisions

Watch

🇨🇭🇨🇳

FastConsensus

🇨🇭 You: Structured, data-driven consensus

🇨🇳 Them: Consensus with senior approval

"We will study it" or "we will consider it" often means the issue needs internal alignment or is not acceptable as framed.

05Unspoken Signals

China

Unspoken signals

Tap to decode.

§ III

06Mistake → Better move

Mistake → Better move

§ III

Common mistake

×say 'no' directly — use 'we'll consider it' instead

Better move

→Use titles + surname (Wang Zǒng) — never first names early

Common mistake

×cause someone to lose face publicly

Better move

→Present and receive business cards with both hands

Common mistake

×discussing Taiwan, Tibet, or politics

Better move

→Ask how they prefer the market named, then stay business-focused.

07Negotiation Tips (how to win the room)

Playbook

§ IV

01
Build guānxì before discussing terms — invest in dinners and relationship time.
02
Never cause someone to 'lose face' publicly — address concerns privately.
03
Expect negotiations to take longer — patience signals seriousness.

08People (where to find them)

China

Community map · ChinaOPEN +

🇨🇳 Community map

Where foreigners actually find people.

Entry points

•SwissCham, EU Chamber, city-level founder groups, trade fairs, and supplier visits are stronger than generic expat nights.
•WeChat groups matter, but the useful ones usually come through a warm introduction.
•In Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing, pick circles by industry and city; China is not one community map.

Trust paths

•A host, distributor, investor, or senior operator often functions as the bridge into the next room.
•Meals, repeat visits, and careful follow-up can carry more weight than a polished LinkedIn message.
•Local government parks, industry zones, and university-linked networks can matter in hardware, manufacturing, and deep tech.

Do not do this

•Do not ask to be added to every WeChat group immediately.
•Do not treat Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Guangzhou as interchangeable.
•Do not use community events only to extract supplier lists or investor intros.

First moves

•Ask one trusted contact which WeChat group is appropriate for your role and city.
•Attend one recurring industry event twice before asking for introductions.
•Prepare a bilingual one-line profile that is easy for someone to forward.

Quiz · 🇨🇳 China

Coach skins

50 XP left

Current

Spot one signal. Handle the room better.

Next · level 2

Level 2 coach unlocked.

Country

Novice

League

Traveler

80 XP to Closer

Badges

First 50

7 days

✓

Ready

Lesson path

One signal, then one full run.

MatchReplySceneOrderListenBlankReviewbusiness signalword or phraseregional codelocal texturecommunity

China novice → China ready

0/100 XP

More markets

问Consult · Field Expert

🇨🇭 → 🇨🇳

Consult

关系

You get answers tied to China and Switzerland — not generic expat tips.

Begin with

→

Tap to change. This is your whole briefing.

01Cultural Key (the basics)

China

🇨🇳China

Dossier · Vol. I

关系

Cultural key · 🇨🇳 China

Relationship-building is the foundation of all business

Guānxì

02Scenario

General

What are you preparing for?

03Phrasebook (what to say)

Phrasebook

§ I

01
幸会
Xìnghuì
Pleased to meet you. First meetings — more formal than 你好
02
合作愉快
Hézuò yúkuài
Happy cooperation. After signing deals or closing meetings
03
请多关照
Qǐng duō guānzhào
Please look after me. Shows humility when starting a partnership

04Compare (you vs them)

Switzerland ↔ China

Culture gap map

Same words, different signal.

§ II

Comms

Watch

🇨🇭🇨🇳

DirectContext

🇨🇭 You: Direct, precise, multilingual

🇨🇳 Them: Indirect, context-heavy

"We will study it" or "we will consider it" often means the issue needs internal alignment or is not acceptable as framed.

Hierarchy

Watch

🇨🇭🇨🇳

FlatSeniority

🇨🇭 You: Flat, consensus-based

🇨🇳 Them: Hierarchical, top-down

The person writing the document may not be the person allowed to approve it.

Gifts

Watch

🇨🇭🇨🇳

PracticalSymbolic

🇨🇭 You: Modest, practical

🇨🇳 Them: Symbolic, avoid clocks/white

A late reopening of terms can be part of relationship-based negotiation, not necessarily bad faith.

Meetings

Watch

🇨🇭🇨🇳

AgendaRelationship

🇨🇭 You: Punctual, agenda-driven

🇨🇳 Them: Relationship-first, banquets

Silence in a meeting may protect face and allow senior people to set the direction.

Decisions

Watch

🇨🇭🇨🇳

FastConsensus

🇨🇭 You: Structured, data-driven consensus

🇨🇳 Them: Consensus with senior approval

"We will study it" or "we will consider it" often means the issue needs internal alignment or is not acceptable as framed.

05Unspoken Signals

China

Unspoken signals

Tap to decode.

§ III

06Mistake → Better move

Mistake → Better move

§ III

Common mistake

×say 'no' directly — use 'we'll consider it' instead

Better move

→Use titles + surname (Wang Zǒng) — never first names early

Common mistake

×cause someone to lose face publicly

Better move

→Present and receive business cards with both hands

Common mistake

×discussing Taiwan, Tibet, or politics

Better move

→Ask how they prefer the market named, then stay business-focused.

07Negotiation Tips (how to win the room)

Playbook

§ IV

01
Build guānxì before discussing terms — invest in dinners and relationship time.
02
Never cause someone to 'lose face' publicly — address concerns privately.
03
Expect negotiations to take longer — patience signals seriousness.

08People (where to find them)

China

Community map · ChinaOPEN +

🇨🇳 Community map

Where foreigners actually find people.

Entry points

•SwissCham, EU Chamber, city-level founder groups, trade fairs, and supplier visits are stronger than generic expat nights.
•WeChat groups matter, but the useful ones usually come through a warm introduction.
•In Shenzhen, Shanghai, and Beijing, pick circles by industry and city; China is not one community map.

Trust paths

•A host, distributor, investor, or senior operator often functions as the bridge into the next room.
•Meals, repeat visits, and careful follow-up can carry more weight than a polished LinkedIn message.
•Local government parks, industry zones, and university-linked networks can matter in hardware, manufacturing, and deep tech.

Do not do this

•Do not ask to be added to every WeChat group immediately.
•Do not treat Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Guangzhou as interchangeable.
•Do not use community events only to extract supplier lists or investor intros.

First moves

•Ask one trusted contact which WeChat group is appropriate for your role and city.
•Attend one recurring industry event twice before asking for introductions.
•Prepare a bilingual one-line profile that is easy for someone to forward.

What are you preparing for?

Comms

Hierarchy

Gifts

Meetings

Decisions

Learn the unspoken signal.

Traveler

One signal, then one full run.

What are you preparing for?

Comms

Hierarchy

Gifts

Meetings

Decisions