by Renaud Anjoran in 'Quality Inspection Blog'

I heard this comment from many buyers:

Chinese factories are so disorganized!

Who tends to make this type of observation? Importers who chase low prices and/or who purchase low quantities (and whose production ends up in small factories). And, in their case, they are very right.

by Jacob Yount in 'JLmade Blog'

Production problems, sourcing issues or timing delays are not always directly related to dollars and cents.

By David Dayton in "Silk Road International"

First, if you’re not reading The China Sourcer Magazine already, please do–it’s free! The China Sourcer Magazine is part of the new China Sourcing Information Center. If you’re sourcing from China, then you’ll want to check it out. Yea, I’m involved in it, so I’m not unbiased in my recommendation. But I also know the others involved and I’ve read all the content so far published and I know that it’s a collection of valuable information. And it’s free!

By Dan Harris in 'China Law Blog'

Our mission statement (which has been around since January, 2006) makes clear we will not shy away from controversy:

We will be challenging various misconceptions the West has about law in China, including that the law in China does not really matter or that guanxi can supplant it. We will help you figure out how you can use the law as both a shield and a sword. We will give insights to achieve practical solutions, while doing our best to entertain. We know lawyers are not popular, and though we are ourselves really quite likeable, we recognize the need to avoid those things that incite lawyer hatred. We will strive to avoid legal jargon and namby-pamby language that attempts to camouflage our views or to avoid controversy.

We want our blog to be a place for both conversation and controversy. We expect many of you will disagree with us much of the time and we are fine with that. We will always strive to avoid boring you or being unwilling to take a stand. We are not going to be afraid of being wrong—in fact, we want you to tell us when and how we are wrong. If you want "legalese" or long strings of caveats, you are going to have to pay exorbitant legal fees to get that elsewhere.

By David Dayton in 'Silk Road International'

I'll be the first one to admit that I just don't get face. My wife would certainly confirm that as well. After I graduated and for my first few years working in Asia, I thought I knew what was up. But as the years have passed and I've learned what the Chinese words I'm saying actually mean to Chinese people, I realize more and more that I have a long way to go before I'm fluent in Chinese Culture.

By David Dayton in 'Silk Road International'

Part I is here.

6. You will never know when you’ve gone “too far.”

Once, back in '95 in Chongqing, people were gathering on the street and huddling around me yelling advice at me crowding around me and staring at me while I was trying to take care of my crying 1 year-old son. I asked them to stop and leave. (OK, I screamed in Chinese at 100+ mobbing Chinese strangers, telling them to get the hell out of my face and leave me the *&^%$ alone—of course this just added another 100 Chinese strangers to the scrum.) Other than more of the same, the response from one of the people nearby was this: "This is China!" I will never forget that. You won't change China. You can either learn how to work within it or constantly fight against it. I find that it's usually some of both.

By David Dayton in "Silk Road International"

I originally thought to title this: "How to use understand Chinese Culture to your advantage." It was written during some serious frustration and was neither helpful, PC or even remotely polite. I've tried to tone it down some and make it more helpful than angry.

By David Dayton in 'Silk Road International'

Everyone that's ever had a job in the West learned very early on the value of Under-promise and Over-deliver, especially if you wanted to get ahead, keep clients happy and make a name for yourself.

By David Dayton in "Silk Road International"

This is EXACTLY what I'm talking about. What you see in public you're bound to see at lower levels too-it's just that only the Microsofts of the world get the press.

All of these experiences happened to me this last month.

First, If you don't make it, fake it. This is different from the same old "China just copies everything." Well, sort of different.

I had some very interesting conversations with friends recently about the economy and what they are seeing. Despite the very different industries and even the direction of business they all had the same conclusions-things were bad but are looking up.

By Dan Harris in 'China Law Blog'

China Daily did an article the other day on how China's courts are now going to post its unpaid judgments online. It is entitled, "Court launches website showing who hasn't paid."

Much is made in some business circles about the importance of guanxi -- usually translated as relationships or connections -- in China business. However, while there was certainly a time when a company's success depended almost solely on the quality and quantity of its guanxi, Shawn He Yuxun of MeetChinaBiz maintains those days have passed for industries that have been marketized. He traces the recent history of guanxi and cautions that only those who stand to benefit from a mystified China tout this as an indispensable component for doing business there.