【09.07.28福布斯】怎样在中国不被绑架
【原文标题】How To Avoid Getting Kidnapped In China【译文标题】怎样在中国不被绑架
【登载媒体】福布斯
【原文链接】http://www.forbes.com/2009/07/28/china-kidnapping-guanxi-leadership-managing-hui.html
【译者】满仓
You have to make your business interactions about relationships, not legalities--and find an ''uncle.''
你不得不让你的企业配合“关系”运作，而不是奉守法律，并且你还要找一个“大哥”。
China Law Blog recently ran a chilling post about an executive who found himself held captive in a hotel until his company paid money it owed his kidnappers--even though his firm had declared bankruptcy. The article pointed out that holding executives until their companies pay up is not uncommon in developing countries; it advised that any business expecting to go into default get its foreign personnel out of the country first.
雷曼法律博客最近发表了一篇恐怖的报道，一位公司老板被人绑架，直到他的公司向绑匪支付了所欠债务之后才被释放，尽管这家公司已经宣告破产。报道提醒，用绑架公司高层人员的方式要挟清偿债务的行为在发展中国家并不少见，因此有破产倾向的企业要先把外籍人员转移出国。
Is that really what happens when you don't pay a Chinese creditor? Americans used to be afraid Chinese businesses would stiff them; now it's the other way around. With thousands of American firms declaring bankruptcy, many companies in China have been left unpaid and angry. How your firm deals with your Chinese partners can make the difference between maintaining a valuable business relationship and losing out on a critical market--or worse.
如果不向中国的债主还钱，真的会发生这样的事吗？美国人曾经担心中国的企业拖欠他们的款项，现在看来事情倒过来了。数千家美国公司陆续宣告破产，而更多的中国企业因为没有收到钱而怒气冲天。你的公司如何处理与中国伙伴的关系，决定了你可以维持一个宝贵的业务关系，还是在这个重要的市场中狼狈退出，还是更坏的结果。
Doing business in China is not as alien an experience as many consultants would have you believe. There are a lot more similarities than differences between the U.S. and China. But some of the differences are substantial. Here are a few of the biggest that you'd better know about.
在中国做生意，并不像很多顾问试图让你相信的那么陌生，中美之间类似的地方还是多于差异的地方。但是有些区别是至关重要的，这里提到的一些重大区别你最好能够给予充分关注。
First, and paramount, the law plays a different role in everyday business life in China. As in many countries at a similar stage of socioeconomic development, China's businesses operate in a low-trust environment. The legal system has evolved dramatically over the last decade, and the laws on the books are quite good, but enforcement remains spotty at best in more rural areas. Relationships often trump the rule of law.
首先也是最重要的，法律在中国的日常商业行为中扮演了不同的角色。就像很多处于类似社会经济发展阶段的国家一样，中国的企业是在一个低信誉度的环境中运行。司法体系在最近十年中才大幅度介入，书本上的法律条文无可挑剔，但是执法力度参差不齐，尤其是在农村地区。关系往往凌驾于法律之上。
Americans confronted with business disputes expect to turn to lawyers and courts. That isn't done nearly as often in China. Companies, especially smaller private ones, turn instead to relationships. If they don't have relationships to turn to, they sometimes fall back on threats and physical fighting. But you see many more paper tigers than real ones.
在生意场遇到问题的美国人通常会找律师或法院寻求帮助，在中国却不是这样。公司，尤其是小规模的私人公司，只会去找关系。如果实在没有关系，他们有时候就会采取威胁和武力手段，但是大多数都是纸老虎，而不是真正的打手。
I have been held a few times myself. It is fairly common and not considered kidnapping. People fight all the time. That is, they wave their arms and maybe do a little shoving to prove their seriousness. Then it peters out. It almost never really escalates.
我自己就曾经落入对方手中，这经常发生，也不能算作是绑架了。人们时常会“打架”，也就是所谓的挥舞手臂，推推搡搡来强调他们对此事的态度是多么严肃。随后一切恢复正常，几乎从来没有升级到更严重的事件。
Before entering a partnership with a Chinese company, you should find an "uncle"--a person both parties trust who will be able to mediate differences. This assures each side that issues will be resolved fairly. I have seen too many American businessmen drag out an inch-thick contract with some clause that they think lets them out of a deal. To their Chinese counterparts, it is clear the Americans are cheating. Use relationships rather than legalese whenever possible to solve problems.
在与一家中国公司建立合作伙伴关系之前，你需要有一个“大哥”，也就是一个双方都信任的负责斡旋的角色，这样，如果出现问题就可以公平地得到解决。我见过太多的美国生意人，在一英寸厚的合同里找出一些他们认为让生意不划算的条款，这在中国的合作方看来，很明显是美国人在捣鬼。所以，在尽可能的情况下使用关系，而不是法律，来解决问题。
As an example, I worked with an American company that was owed more than half a million dollars by a Chinese partner. It had hired high-priced lawyers, threatened legal action and gotten nowhere. My firm was brought in to resolve the situation. During our first encounter, the chief executive of the Chinese company banged his fist on the table and let it be known that he had strong relations with the military.
有一个例子，我曾经合作过的一家美国公司，被一个中国合作伙伴拖欠了50多万美元的债务。它聘请了高价的律师，甚至使用法律威胁手段，但没有任何进展。所以我的公司被聘请来解决这个问题。我们第一次见面的时候，中国公司的CEO把拳头乓的一声砸在桌子上，声称他和军队的关系很“铁”。
What did I do? I did not threaten a legal remedy, and I did not get cowed. Rather I found an uncle who the Chinese CEO and I both knew. That made it no longer a dispute between two companies. It was now a personal issue. Within days, the uncle solved the problem. He told the CEO to pay up, and rather than risk his personal relationship with the uncle, the CEO did so right away, and became friendly with me.
我该怎么办？当时我没有刻板地引用法律条文，当然也没有被吓倒，而是去找了一个我和中国CEO都认识的“大哥”。这让事情变成不是两个公司间的争议了，而是一个私人关系问题。几天之后，“大哥”把问题解决了。为了不破坏和“大哥”之间的私人关系，CEO迅速付清了欠款，对我也变得友好起来。
The case written up by China Law Blog should have been handled that way. Had the foreign company turned to an uncle to smooth relations before declaring it would not pay, the dispute would never have gotten to hostage-taking.
雷曼法律博客所讲述的案例其实就应该使用这种方法来解决。这家外国公司如果在正式宣布不还款之前，去找一个“大哥”来疏通关系，肯定不会演变成挟持人质的事件。
The second thing to know about doing business in China is that you must build guanxi.
在中国做生意要注意的第二件事是，你必须要建立关系。
Many Americans have heard of guanxi, but it's often translated wrongly to mean relationships with powerful people. Guanxi means something very different from the American concept of connections. It means being in a social circle where you can let your guard down a little, because there is deep trust, perhaps from generations of coexistence, living in the same neighborhoods or even with interwoven family relations. In the case I was involved in, the CEO didn't want to hurt his relationship with the uncle, and once he knew I, too, was in the uncle's circle, he wanted to create a friendship with me.
很多美国人都应当听说过“关系”这个词，但是它的含义经常被误读为“与有权力的人的联系”，“关系”和美国人概念中的“联系”有非常大的区别。它表示一种基于相互间深厚的信任感，你可以稍微放松警惕的一个社会圈子，这种信任感可能来自几代人的相处、相同的居住地或者交织的亲属关系。上面的例子中，我也进入了一个“关系”。CEO不希望破坏与“大哥”之间的关系，当他知道我也是“大哥”圈子里的人，他希望和我也建立友谊关系。
Many consultants like to tout that they have good guanxi and can arrange meetings with powerful officials to grease the wheels of commerce. They may be able to get the meetings, but those powerful people don't usually really trust them--especially if the consultants are former officials of foreign governments, as they often are. Building long-term trust is very difficult, especially for those who once sat across negotiating tables representing other countries. Acceptance into a guanxi circle can take years.
很多顾问喜欢吹嘘他们手里的“关系”，说可以帮助你和有权势的官员安排会议，寻找商机。他们或许可以成功安排会议，但是那些权势人物通常并不相信他们，尤其当这些顾问是外国前政府官员的情况下——而他们往往就是。建立长期的信任关系不是件容易的事情，特别是对曾经坐在谈判桌两边代表不同国家的双方来说，被准许进入一个关系圈子往往要花费几年的时间。
Long-term perspective is very important in China. A defaulting borrower should avoid saying he won't pay and instead pay a little right away and explain that he is hurting but will make good in the future. You cannot rely on bankruptcy to absolve debts.
在中国，具备长远的眼光非常重要。一个债务拖欠者不应当说他不打算还款，或者先还一小部分，等将来生意又起色的时候再还其余部分。你不能指望宣告破产可以解决债务问题。
Perspective on money itself is important, too. Never forget how many Chinese live hand-to-mouth. In a country where the gross domestic product per capita is only $1,000, the sum of $50,000 might represent two decades of salary for someone you're negotiating with. Living conditions are deplorable for far too many. Many workers live in company dormitories where eight to 12 people share a small single room with bunk beds three high. Every dollar is worth fighting for because it can mean the difference between eating and going hungry. Staying in a five-star hotel and flying business class while you claim bankruptcy will not sit well with people who have so little. Even the police won't usually be sympathetic if you're temporarily detained by a creditor. As long as no one is physically harming you, they'll see it as part of a business transaction.
对钱的观念也是非常重要的。永远不要忘记有多少中国人没有隔夜之粮，在这个人均GDP只有1000美元的国家，5万美元也许意味着你的邻居一家整整20年的收入。居住条件一样惨不忍睹，很多工人一直住在12个人一间房的上下铺上。每一分钱都值得他们拼命争取，因为这意味着他们可以吃饱还是要饿肚子。住五星级酒店、搭乘商务航班的破产者们无法被这些“无产者”所理解。如果你被债权人暂时扣留，即使警察也不会对你寄予同情。只要没有受到肉体伤害，他们会认为这是正常商业行为的一部分。
Many small and medium-size Chinese businesses are highly leveraged and have to scramble for cash. The country's stimulus program has brought about an enormous surge in bank loans, but most of them have gone to large state-owned enterprises. Smaller private companies tend to rely on underground banks that charge 50% to 75% interest and are backed by people that executives never want to default on.
很多中小型中国企业都在高度举债经营，因此必须争取现金流。中国的经济刺激政策大幅提高了银行贷款发放额度，但是大部分贷款都流向了政府控制的大型企业。私人小公司只好投身利息高达50％到75％的地下钱庄，这些钱庄的后台是这些公司负责人永远不希望欠债的人。
Some businessmen turn to networks called hui, where money is pooled together among friends, family and neighbors to make loans within the group. Their default rates hover around zero, because the borrowers will do just about anything to pay back their debts. Do you think a Chinese businessman is going to let an American not pay back his debts when doing so will harm his family and his guanxi circle?
一些生意人自发组成了一些内部网络，叫做“会”。在内部，朋友、亲戚和邻居之间把资金汇集到一起，为内部成员发放贷款。利息近乎于零，因为贷款人会不惜一切代价来偿还债务。你认为中国人会允许一个美国人拖欠债务而危及他的家庭和他的“关系”圈子吗？
You shouldn't be scared to do business in China, but you need to know that relying on the law to avoid making payments to Chinese businesses doesn't usually work. Legal confrontation goes counter to the concepts of guanxi and to relationships that are central to Chinese business culture. To be successful long term, your company must have strong contracts and good legal advice, but it also needs to understand the importance of relationships, and nurture those as well.
你不用害怕在中国做生意，但是你需要了解，完全依靠法律来躲避向中国公司付款通常不会有好的效果。法庭对质与中国经营文化的核心理念“关系”是完全对立的两个概念。长远角度的成功当然需要强大的合同和完备的法律意识，但是还需要理解“关系”的重要性，并且要刻意去培养它。 好像中国的治安很乱---又是一篇内涵的文章 这也是中国做生意的阴暗面，虽然用词比较那个。 我觉得说的很正确啊，难道不是吗，事实还是承认，希望能用法律力度的解决这种情形 这个人均GDP只有1000美元的国家？
统计局的数据是4.4万亿美元，除13，好像3000多吧，作者怎么统计的 这种翻译形式比那种一行英文下面一行中文的形式看起好看多了 原文付在下面 不会影响汉字的阅读 AC翻译团队是不是应该改变一下?在不那么严肃或要求太高的国外报道中采用这种方式!
内容看起来还是很公正的 不过拉关系的一般不会拉到军队里去临近国庆阅兵期间打下擦边球 很有意思 这个人均GDP只有1000美元的国家？
统计局的数据是4.4万亿美元，除13，好像3000多吧，作者怎么统计的
bqydp 发表于 2009-9-30 13:29 http://bbs.m4.cn/images/common/back.gif
西方人总是思维停滞，在他们脑中我们还是骨瘦如柴，拉着黄包车，到处行乞呢。 基本上还是属实的 这种翻译形式比那种一行英文下面一行中文的形式看起好看多了 原文付在下面 不会影响汉字的阅读 AC翻译团队是不是应该改变一下?在不那么严肃或要求太高的国外报道中采用这种方式!
双子dě真爱 发表于 2009-9-30 13:30 http://bbs.m4.cn/images/common/back.gif
深合我意，否则译者会有一种作品被撕碎的感觉。 是实话，文章很好。小老板、包工头，一样有他们的难处，如果他们不能给他们的员工按时发放工资，一样会面临被讨债，乃至被迫过上流浪汉的生活。 回6楼9楼：
现在这种格式，是想让大家既能看到翻译的文章又可以通过每一句的翻译使自己的英语能力得到提高。 百分之一千是中国目前的状况写实，很客观。
在中国，经商的法律成本是很高的，远高于找关系所需要的成本，另外法律执行力带来的效率低下更让人受不了
就如所谓的“人民警察”一样，中国法律的权威性在不断的下降，希望当政者能重视一下 当做镜子好好自我清查，不怕造谣 深深对这种现象无奈
因为没关系~希望不久就可以享受低成本的司法服务 这个人均GDP只有1000美元的国家？
统计局的数据是4.4万亿美元，除13，好像3000多吧，作者怎么统计的
bqydp 发表于 2009-9-30 13:29 http://bbs.m4.cn/images/common/back.gif1000已经很多了，过了这个门槛与国不利 美国的杂志一般还是对中国比较客气
人家说是实话，这也是我之所以**的原因 内容还行
不过原来外国也有标题党啊 感觉作者只明白表向，以西方的逻辑解释东方的规则，他不知道这些规则是如何形成的。 “潜规则”！现在真是经商不易啊，尤其是中小型私企，期望各方的盘剥能少点。 这不是“潜规则”吧，西方人是没有“仁义礼智信”和“孝”这些东西的，叫西方人完全理解东方人，比赶母猪上树强不了多少。
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