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PANDA CONCIERGEChina
PANDA CONCIERGEChina

Business

How to negotiate

Negotiations here run longer and more gently than you are used to, and hurrying them is a reliable way to get worse terms.

6 min readUpdated: 26 August 2026
photo: a handshake after the negotiation

Pace

A first meeting often goes on getting acquainted rather than on terms. That is not wasted time but a necessary stage.

Decisions are not made at the table: the person opposite almost certainly has to clear them internally.

Bargaining

The first price is almost never final, but attacking it head-on works badly.

Terms usually move in exchange for something: volume, timing, a deposit, the length of the relationship.

Demanding a discount without offering anything in return reads as disrespect for the work.

Worth knowing

“That’s difficult”, “we’ll look into it”, “perhaps later” are the polite form of no. You will most likely never hear a direct refusal.

Tip

Do not corner your counterpart into admitting a mistake in front of their own people. The chance to save face often matters more than the concession itself.

Checked: 26 August 2026

Editor: The PANDA editorial team

What you can hand to PANDA

Interpreting at negotiationsAn industry specialist prepares on your subject, interprets precisely and flags where the Chinese side is dodging the question.from ¥1 800Arranging meetingsWe'll find the right people, reach them in Chinese, agree a time and place and send the agenda — all you do is turn up and talk business.from ¥3 000A business tourWe find the factories and suppliers, set up the meetings and put together the route, the interpreter and the transport. You get a finished schedule, not a contact list.from ¥12 000

Sources

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