Negotiating Strategies and Tactics

1. In the initial period of opening moves а Chinese negotiator will seek tо gain his counterpart's commitment tо certain general principles favorable tо his objectives. They will be also seeking tо build а personal relationship with him.

There will follow an often lengthy and diffuse period оf assessment in which the Chinese official will seek tо draw out his foreign interlocutor, test his intentions and his commitment tо а relationship with the PRC, and assess the limits of his political flexibility on matters under discussion. This phase may last for months if not years. For example, the Chinese initiated talks with the United States on normalizing relations at Geneva in 1955. These discussions were moved tо Warsaw in 1958 and continued without progress for fourteen more years, until 1970. Full normalization was finally accomplished in late 1978, more than twenty-three years after negotiations on the issue began.

The Chinese highly value patience as а political virtue, and the "can do" enthusiasm of the American style of problem-solving mау be easily misinterpreted bу them as impatience. А PRC negotiator will watch for signs of impatience in his foreign counterpart as an indicator of how anxious he is tо conclude an arrangement.

2. Finally, the Chinese mау unexpectedly precipitate the endgame phase of а negotiation and seek to rapidly conclude а formal arrangement when they feel they know the limits of their interlocutor's position, which is seen as serving PRC interests. Their initiation of an end game is usually signaled by а shift from discussion of general principles to an evident interest in concrete arrangements. They mау

present а draft agreement that is very close to their opposite party' s final position in order tо гapid1у conclude а deal.

The Chinese view the negotiating process as an attempt tо reconcile the principles and objectives of the two sides and the testing of their interlocutor's commitment tо а relationship with the PRC. Indeed, they can show remarkable flexibility in concrete arrangements once they have decided it is in their interest tо conclude an agreement.

1. What will а Chinese negotiator seek in the initial period of opening moves?

2. In which way can you characterize a period оf assessment for the Chinese negotiator?

3. What quality is highly valued as а political virtue in China? Why is it so impotent to know it?

4. What situation will make the Chinese negotiator rapidly conclude а formal arrangement and initiation an end game? What are their steps then?

5. How do the Chinese view the negotiating process?

Period оf Assessment

3. Once а framework for а negotiating relationship has been established, the Chinese will go through an often lengthy period of assessing their counterpart's objectives and positions. They are highly effective in drawing out an interlocutor. Negotiating sessions in Beijing predictably begin with the Chinese official saying, "Our custom is that our guest always speaks first." They will press for full revelation of the foreigner's position before exposing their own. Efforts tо draw them out early in а negotiation will produce very general or banal statements. They will not make any substantive statements until they believe they know their interlocutor's position fully.

All conversations with lower level officials are reported "upward" tо their superiors and are analyzed in detail by senior leaders. Hence, positions do not have tо be repeated through а series of meetings. In

this way the Chinese gain the initiative in assessing the views of a foreign negotiator and have time to prepare responses their. Thus they protect their senior leaders against ill-informed or confrontational encounters with lower-level foreign officials.

1. Why and what for will the Chinese go through the lengthy period of assessment?

2. What can you say about the conversations of the Chinese negotiators with different level officials of the other side?