The biggest problems facing Chinese suppliers trying to work with American buyers

  • Differences in Languages:

    Almost all American buyers do not speak any Chinese at all and most Chinese suppliers are not very fluent in the Americaqn style of English which clearly makes exchange of information difficult and confusing.

  • Differences in Time Zones:

    It is almost impossible for Chinese suppliers and American buyers to communicate with each other via telephone, Whatsapp or Wechat during regular business hours.

    • When it is 9am in Bejing it is 9pm in New York and Miami.
    • When it is 9am in Shanghai it is 8pm in Chicago and Dallas.
    • When it is 9am in Guangzhou it is 6pm in Los Angeles and San Fransisco.
  • Differences in business cultures:

    The way business is conducted in the USA is completely different than how it is conducted in China. The differences are too many to outline, but here are some basics:

    • American business is aggressive while Chinese is more courteous,
    • Americans prefer direct communication while Chinese prefer indirect communication,
    • Chinese business interactions are much more personal than the way Americans conduct business activities,
    • Chinese business people take time making decisions while Americans are more speedy in such decisions.

We can outline many more differences, but it is obvious that two different social cultures also have different business styles.
Our mission is to help bridge this gap for our suppliers.