Anyone been to China?
 

Im going to China at the end of this month, do I need any special paperwork besides a passport to go? Is it safe to go there? Should I go at all? I really want to get out of this but it seems inevitable.

Thanks in advance

I went their great city, the amount of new buildings and construction is amazing 10x more than new york. You need a visa to go there.

is china still communist?

yes it is

How long does it take to get a visa? I really want to get out of this.

Why are you going to China?

asian content.

Business related, I have a hard enough time communicating with these people via phone and email. But registration for products in China costs 2mil and they are spending it, so I feel bad saying no, but the visa thing may be the loophole Im after

visa takes a couple of months and costs 100 - 200 bucks I think ....

sweet, thank you

I just found the application form and they can be expedited and processed in 1-5days:helpme

have you tried Video Teleconfernce?

I bet you didn't knwo this but, they don't use forks over there to eat with, they use these weird like little sticks, they hold them like giant tweezers and pick the food up with them.

Hey dude fuck Visa get an american express card low intrest rate you know:thumbsup

I'm hoping to work this angle, Id rather they came here. I just need an excuse so that I don't offend them.

even worse is the wont give me a definate date, so I can't be like I wont be available then. They want to buy the tickets for me. Im usually not such a wimp when it comes to things like this, but communicating up until this point has been difficulty. At list via email I can sit down and read and reread what they send me.

Oh, well maybe it won't be so bad, good experience at least. Its just a lot of money at stake with these contracts I I dont want to screw it up.

You are doing the right thing. The get offended very easily and hold grudges when they do.

for all of you that can't make it to China , come to Vancouver.its the next best thing

Just take the trip man, you'll be fine.

This is very true. And look around on line or a Barnes & Noble/B. Dalton, some place like that, for a book of tips on business travel over there. DO NOT assume that they go by American conventions, and maybe learn something about the tricks they'll try to use to negotiate the deal to their advantage. A little biit of effort on your part can make you look pretty good.

China is not a communist but is a communist but is not a communist kind of country right now. Some things are very RED while some things are very non-RED :)

I assume you are just visiting the eastern area where the big cities are. There are some pretty unique societies thriving in central and western China.

Are you insane? China has one of the oldest cultures on the planet and you don't want to travel there when you have the chance? Holy Fuck, man. It's a great opportunity - take it!

Travel opens the mind (or at least its supposed to) and I bet when you get back you'll be glad that you went! :thumbsup

Maybe if it was going to be a vacation, It will be 2-3 days max. Anyways I came up with a solution that will make me more comfortable with the whole thing. Im bringing someone with me which much more experience in these matters.

Last place I want to be is in a board room full of chitter chatter I can't understand. I wish I could post some of the emails from these people. Its like a game of 20 questions you can't understand.

Its just that there is millions of dollars at stake and I don't want to fug it up.

i will be in Taipei october 24th for a couple of hours en route to Bangkok =)

I don't know if you remember last year when Time Magazine ran on their cover: Vancouver - Asia's Newest Capital City.

If the Chinese guys don't speak English very well, why doesn't your company send someone to China who can speak their language?

It doesn't make sense to do business when you can't communicate very well.

sure do! and didnt our city get renamed ; Hongcouver ?
:1orglaugh

I think 1 in 7 people in Vancouver are asian. Great place if you like asian girls.
Vancouver is a beautiful city.

Well, thats the thing, they use a consulting firm here in the states to basically noegotiate everything. I would be going with him and trust me hes on my side because there is a lot at stake for him as well. Im more concerned, as was proven with past dealings with a separate company, that they ask or demand something that will put me in a bad position. Which is why Im going to bring one of our contract guys who has dealt with china before.

See china is very scary, because you have to grant them power of attorney with our products and also provide them with factory info and flow sheets, which can be used to rip off the product. Its like thin ice with these people. In addition to that, regulations are so strict in a china that normally it can take 3-5 years to get proper licensing. We generally look for companies that have an inside track with the governemnt so that they can do it much faster. These are massive companies, but their business practices don't always refeect that.

My friend is an English teacher at Beijing middle school 65 and he makes out like a bandit.

They tried to lock him in at night but he literally scaled the wall. Then he got shit for living in an area not designated for foreigners. He paid off the cops with some Heineken and now it is
pussy central. This is totally true.

Hope this helps you out..

I have a friend that has tried to do some business in China in the past. From what he tells me you (as a long nose) need a Chinese partner with very good connections, and they will probably push you out when they get the chance anyway. He tells the story of a German guy that built a swimming pool only to have the local government not supply any water. He got fed up and left China, minus the dollars for the pool, and then someone in the local government got a nice pool for free.