Doing business in Asia, Japan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, and Russia.

I would love to see articles on all of those things and I would love to see someone with China Confidential's abilities and insight write them. I would particularly like to see the one on the anti-Japan riots, which do seem to start and stop as though the government is controlling the spigot. Why do you think those riots might have been directed at the U.S.?

China Law

Thank you for commenting. China's rulers apparently believe the US is bent on containing China's rise, despite US claims to the contrary. They also believe the US has successfully enlisted Japan in the containment project, though the US-Japan relationship is more complex and nuanced than one would imagine. But the riots and demos served another external purpose: testing foreign reaction to strikingly aggressive Chinese acts. Beijing knows foreign leaders see what we see--control and manipulation--in the events. The issue is how the events play overseas, who objects and who does not and how loudly and effectively are the objections.

Thank you for commenting. China's rulers apparently believe the US is bent on containing China's rise, despite US claims to the contrary. They also believe the US has successfully enlisted Japan in the containment project, though the US-Japan relationship is more complex and nuanced than one would imagine. But the riots and demos served another external purpose: testing foreign reaction to strikingly aggressive Chinese acts. Beijing knows foreign leaders see what we see--control and manipulation--in the events. The issue is how the events play overseas, who objects and who does not and how loudly and effectively are the objections.

That all makes sense. Thanks.

China Law

Is this paranoia that the Chinese show evidenced in other tangible ways? From 6000 miles away the Chinese rulers seem to be trying to play western games (do business/international relationships) by western standards. But you seem to think there is an underlying mistrust yet.
If that is so, how can we (I) see that from where I sit in pleasant Northern CA? Can you pinpoint indicators we might look for?

As for Japan-US nuances - we mustn't forget the Chinese-Japanese past. The Chinese HATE the Japanese and will for a long long time.

Is it possible the Japanese riots were/are just an eruption of that underlying hatred and nothing more?

The "paranoia" is evident in many ways, from efforts to control the Internet to the missile buildup against Taiwan--nearly 800 missiles with 40-50 added each year-- and the law authorizing military force if the breakaway island moves toward formal independence or simply if reunification efforts ultimately fail.

Under the present authoritarian system, where you can be arrested for worshiping in the wrong church or handing out leftwing leaflets, where over 30,000 cybercops scan the Internet daily in search of suspicious sites and surfing, it is inconceivable that the mass demos and violent protests were not heavily manipulated and influenced by the government. Reporters on the scene confirmed suspicions of manipulation and outright control.

Those are great points.

I have a blog planned for today or tomorrow about China's 'Web Cops'.

So, what do you think can be done - I know there is no easy answer - to alleviate the distrust that still exists.

Discussion in places like this can be helpful.

Do you have any other practical ideas?

Thank you. Please check out our posting this week on the Internet cops searching fcr signs of subversive activity on the Left (a matter of snooping rather than blocking). As for specific suggestions, given the fawning attitude of giant US companies supplying the filtering technology (Cisco and Microsoft) and collaborating in the censorship and snooping (Yahoo and Google), I'm afraid real change requires political reform, which China's rulers are resisting.

But, can't collaboration (Yahoo and Google)be a stepping stone? Don't we need to have some interaction before we can have full interaction? Isn't there a need to do something to establish trust? Share technology?

Or do you think this is a sign of acquiesing to the Chinese? Should political change come first or will it come as a result of cooperation?

I guess I have more questions than answers now.

recently I taught an MBA course on ethics in China, and business leaders taking that class showed me another angle.

After each chapter of our text I asked MBA students (who were also successful business leaders in many cases) to ask and answer ethical questions that impact China.

Questions and responses blew my thinking out of the water.

It left me with the realization that we'd be better off if we created roundtables (much like fireside chats) across cultures where we learn from as much as we teach others who lead.

What do you think of that possibility to create a better way across the pond?

Communication is key. If we are not communicating by whatever, any means, we are not going to understand one another.

... interesting ...

it's true -- communication is so the key and yet when we get it right the results can be so rewarding! Thanks for getting it right so often Bill!