“Guanxi opens the door, but xinren makes the deal“.  Guanxi, Mandarin for ‘relationships’ is often seen as the most important factor in Chinese business. This article believes that this is not totally the case. The writer says that guanxi is not enough to make –in economic standards- the best deal. Whilst Guanxi is having connections, Xinren is a deep and profound trust in the other party. “When trust is high, the Chinese will do business as a gentleman. When trust is not in place, the same Chinese would play the role of strategist and potentially use whatever strategies and tactics are necessary to knock the opponents off balance.” In that way, guanxi is more superficial. To say it in the words of the article, it can even mean having sex. To conclude, in Chinese business it is more important to have xinren than guanxi to close a deal. However, it is logic that you need guanxi to have xinren.

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Philippe Lingier