The potential impacts of national feelings on international business negotiations: a study in the China context

Business negotiations in China require patience, tenacity and an in-depth knowledge of Chinese culture and customs. This paper adds to our knowledge of the Chinese psyche by exploring the concept of national feelings and illustrating how they might affect negotiation processes and business relationships. The data are drawn from a large survey of Chinese negotiators (N=477) in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. The results suggest that national feelings need to be taken into account, by both Western and Chinese negotiators, or business negotiations can be severely compromised.