Gift-Giving in Asia
May 12th, 2007 by AllGiftBaskets
Because of the significance of interpersonal relationships, gift-giving is an essential feature in Asian societies.
In Chinese-based cultures, it’s the guanxi or connection that is critical. And to build up guanxi, you must take people to dinner or give gifts.
In any Asian culture, little or no distinction is made between business and personal relationships. To succeed, you must cultivate close personal ties with business associates and earn their respect and trust.
These personal connections are at least as important as what you know. Above all, remember that business is first and foremost personal. You can’t have the former without the latter.
In China, for example, most things seem to be in short supply. So to do business, you need to know people.
A successful person in China will have a network of friends, acquaintances, relatives and associates. These people do favors for one another and always seek a rough balance between help given and received.
No matter where you travel on business in Asia, remember you are building friendships first and business connections second.