Long ago, after three months of struggling through working with Chinese government officials, I wrote a few notes and bits of advice I learned. Things to remember about dealing with China’s leaders:
1. They don’t wake up thinking about the US. They wake up with one thought: “How do we keep control of all this and what’s best for China?”
2. What we consider violations of human rights, they often consider to be “hard choices to benefit the masses”
3. In a formal meeting will treat you like royalty. Ignore that. They’ll do the same for the next guy
4. They have already decided how the meeting will go, what they really want and what they’re willing to give
5. The above manifests itself in a memo with some text printed in the middle of a red rectangle. That is the official statement. It will not change during the meeting
6. They’ve researched you to the point of knowing you better than you know yourself, and understanding those things (and people) who can influence you
7. For every hour of the meeting, a team on their side has spent four hours strategizing how the meeting will play out
8. They will size you up to determine for whom you speak and if you have the effectiveness to make decisions
9. They take thorough notes and will repeat your words back to you every time you see them
10. Sometimes those notes are incorrect. You should keep thorough notes as well
11. Have your interpreter tell you how your words are relayed to the other guy via his interpreter and what he says to his interpreter
12. Speak plainly. Flowery language and over-explanation only make matters worse
13. No is the beginning of the conversation. The faster you can get there, the more productive your interactions
14. When you don’t get what you want, you will be given a face-saving reason for why you aren’t getting it. Don’t overanalyze. It’s often ridiculous. Decide instead to either continue to press or accept the weird explanation gracefully
15. You can say almost anything you want verbally. Be careful what you write down. That’s when people get angry and offended
16. Friendships are based on authority, reliability and trust. Charm is useless as a negotiating tactic. That said, you’re not friends. You’re “friends”
17. It’s the minute changes in language that reflect progress, not in major pronouncements. Sometimes it’s a word not repeated for the 10th time or a word spoken for the first time that represents a breakthrough
18. Often times the other guy will say things to you that seem redundant. He’s saying that as a declaration to his gallery of aides
19. They are patient negotiators, willing to hold out for extraordinary lengths of time and willing to take away almost anything
20. Not much has changed in the Chinese leaders soul, world view, view of humanity or priorities since the emperors. They’ve just dressed it up in a way more familiar to us
21. Don’t drink the tea. It’s a decoration.
Good luck, Mr. President. We can’t afford for you to screw up this weekend’s summit.