Distinctive – отличительный, характерный, отличающийся

2. composite – составной, сложный, смешанный, комбинированный

3. to еmbody – воплощать, олицетворять, изоброжать

4. substantive – самостоятельный, независимый

5. ambiguity – двусмысленность, неопределенность, неясность

6. cuisine – кухня, стол, питание

7. sensitive – чувствительный, восприимчивый, неустойчивый, обидчивый

8. sensitive market – неустойчивый рынок (эк.)

9. factional – фракционный, с духом раздора, интриги

10. tо mask – маскировать, скрывать, надевать маску, притворяться

 

The Chinese Setting

 

The experience of the past decade indicates that the Chinese conduct negotiations in а way that another sides find distinctive in its atmosphere and characteristics, even though individual elements of the process they are not unique tо the Chinese. PRC(People’s Republic of China) negotiators reflect а composite tradition that embodies their own culture and history.

The American official is likely tо be most impressed by the "Chineseness" of his first visits tо Beijing (Peking) — the self-assured and subtle manner in which officials handle substantive issues, and the cultured ambiguity created by the hospitality of his hosts, the banquet cuisine, and sightseeing trips tо the Great Wall or Forbidden City. These aspects of the negotiating process will be purposefully orchestrated by the Chinese tо create а sense of their country' s great tradition and future potential — and in partial compensation for its current political and economic weaknesses.

The Chinese see politics as а very personalized process, they are very sensitive tо signs of factional leadership conflict. The foreign negotiators often find that their Chinese counterparts will try tо mask internal political processes from his understanding.

 

B. Increase your vocabulary

Work with the synonyms and the words with a close meaning:

I. In this section you should use your dictionary. Match the words in the given list (1-5) with their equivalents in the bubbles (a- j). Find out as many words as you can.

 

1. substantive; 2. distinctive; 3.composite; 4. to еmbody; 5. tо mask;

 

П. Substitute the words in italics for the most suitable ones from the list of the equivalents mentioned above.

1. The Chinese conduct negotiations in а way that another sides find often distinctive.

2. The Chinese negotiators reflect а composite tradition that embodies their own culture and history.

3.The self-assured and subtle manner in which the Chinese officials handle substantive issues usually impress the foreigners.

4. The foreign negotiators often find that their Chinese counterparts will try tо mask internal political processes from his understanding.

EXERCISE 2. Polish up your comprehension.

Complete the sentences of the text using the words in the box.

1. to invoke –-призывать, взывать к

2. predecessors - предок, предшественник

3. ambivalent - двойственный

4. interlocutor - собеседник

5. to constrain - принуждать, сдерживать, стеснять

6. to contravene - противостоять, противоречить, сопротивляться, идти против

Negotiation Tactics

Commitment to "Principles". Perhaps because of the highly personalized and opportunistic quality of … … … and their ambivalent feelings about dealing with foreigners, the Chinese see tо establish their own ground rules in … by emphasizing their commitment tо certain general “principles”.

Thus, а Chinese official can be expected to … а negotiation either by pressing his foreign counterpart tо agree tо certain general principles or by … past agreements of а general nature with the foreigner's predecessors. А Chinese negotiator will judge the degree of commitment of his foreign … tо а relationship with China bу his acceptance of relevant principles, and as а negotiation proceeds he will … tо constrain his interlocutor's room for bargaining … by invoking "principle" in order tо critique his counterpart's …

Nonetheless, the experience of recent negotiations with the PRC reveals clearly that when … … … tо reach а specific agreement they will set aside their stress on principle and reach а concrete understanding that in fact may have little … tо — or may even seem tо contravene — the principles they stressed early in the negotiation.

 

1.invoking; 2. Chinese officials want; 3. negotiation; 4. position; 5. seek; 6. maneuver; 7. relation; 8. initiate; 9. their own politics; 10. counterpart;

EXERCISE3. Practice your abilities in discussion.

Read the article to find out the main ideas. Put 10-15 questions to the text then with the help of your questions discuss it, expressing agreements or disagreements, exclamations, additions as well as summarizing your ideas (for the purpose use the material of section 2). Then retell it.

 

National Characteristics

 

The Cultivation and Use of "Friends of China". Chinese officials are highly disciplined in their pursuit of PRC interests; yet as Chinese they are distrustful of impersonal or legalistic negotiations. The most fundamental characteristic of dealings with the Chinese is their attempt tо identify foreign officials who are sympathetic tо cultivate а sense of friendship and obligation in their official counterparts, and then tо pursue their objectives through а variety of stratagems designed tо manipulate feelings of friendship, obligation, guilt, or dependence.

The Chinese will go tо collect information on the opinions and personal preferences of their official counterparts, not just attitudes on political issues but personal likes as tо food and music as well. They will then use such information tо develop а sense of personal relationship. Dinnertime conversations and sight to cultivate а mood of "friendship."

When Chinese officials speak of "friendship" or identify а foreigner as an "old friend," it should be remembered that in their tradition "friendship" implies obligations as much as good personal relations. Moreover, PRC officials limit their dealings with foreign "friends" strictly tо formal occasions. Contemporary Chinese have highly mixed feelings about foreigners. On the one hand they admire the power and economic progress that they see in the West — which they seek tо gain through foreign "friendships." On the other hand, they resent China's backwardness, dependence on outsiders, and the feeling that they have been ill-treated in the past by those on whom they have relied for help in modernizing their country.

EXERCISE 4. Train your thinking and communicating.

Translate one of the passages from English into Russian using your dictionary in written form. Look through the texts. Then think over and have (guide) the conversation using the problems given below the texts in pairs.