This is China! BLOG

Taiwan’s Army of One

I recently spoke in Shanghai at an Executive MBA program. I had been invited to kick-off the week-long program for young American managers with a talk on China’s Culture, History, Economics and Business Environment (specifically for Western companies). EMBAs received the hour-and-a-half long talk well, adding at the end some rather insightful questions, which I attempted best I could to answer.

After one of the Program Director’s passed me the honorary College pen-and-pencil set to thank me for my time, he inserted as a final question: what would I recommend to budding entrepreneurs in the audience who would want to do business in China. I thought a moment, then answered, “Do your due diligence; develop your network of contacts deeply; and if a Chinese says you absolutely need him in order to do business in China, run the other way, because in today’s China you don’t need a Chinese partner [unless, of course, you plan to operate in certain sectors where a JV is required by fiat].

“I’m offended!” a reedy voice from the audience spluttered. It took me a moment to focus on the source of the discontent with my words of wisdom. He was a small, skinny Chinese fellow, late twenties – perhaps even early thirties - white-button down shirt with dark blue tie. “All I’ve been hearing all morning is about ‘The Chinese Way’ and how bad it is, and you’re bad mouthing Chinese people. I am Chinese…”

A voice from the back of the room injected insightfully, “He’s Taiwanese.” I got the impression he wasn’t universally supported by his classmates.

“Ah,” I said sagely, “Taiwanese. That’s different, you know.” I knew from his tone and spoken English he hadn’t any experience living or working in the Mainland. I wouldn’t be arguing with him – if I so chose – I would be arguing with his ideas of the way things are in the Mainland, his impression of his status in the Mainland, perhaps with the media in the States and certainly with the mythologies he grew up with in Taiwan and with his parents. In other words, it would have been a waste of my time to engage him. At least, until he had had real experience with how Mainland Chinese perceive Taiwanese businesspeople; and with how Taiwanese businesspeople actually behave in quixotic China.

“Well,” he back-pedaled, “I have some friends from the Mainland. And if they were here, they would be unhappy as well.” He looked around for his posse; he knew if they were there he could definitely gang-bang me.

“Yeah,” a small voice piped up in the front, a young American-born Chinese woman, definitely in her twenties.

“Well,” I said smoothly, “let’s take this off-line. I’ll be happy to address any questions you have about the talk.”

“I am Chinese. I am offended,” he continued on. His peanut-head swiveled on bony shoulders, back and forth, looking for the crowd to swell up in defense of his honor. No one rose to the occasion.

“Well, after the talk, I’ll be happy to meet you in the back of the room and you can beat me all you like.” I was determined to finish the answer. I said, “Normally, when I give such kinds of talks, I preface the talk with ‘This is not going to be a Politically Correct talk in the American sense. Culture is sensitive to people, especially for those who identify themselves fully with their culture, like this gentleman. However, in China, it is very difficult to separate culture from business. And with 4,000 years of history, doing business in China is not at all a straight-forward affair. Thank you.” Round of applause. Nearly twenty minutes of additional questions from audience members who came up to the podium.

And afterward, my leetle [sic] friend: I never saw him again - the first Taiwanese I had ever met to lump himself in with Mainlanders. I was curious, somewhat, about his impressions; but not so much so I was willing to serve as his psychotherapist.

The lobby outside the hotel ballroom was heaving with people. I wasn’t in a social mood, so I simply made my own way out. Call it whatever you like – call it, even, The Starbucks Factor – but I needed an espresso and bit of time to myself before returning to the office - to manage The Chinese Way.