THE Book on How to Negotiate with Chinese Companies: The Fragile Bridge

Way back in 2012, my good friend Andrew Hupert wrote a great book on negotiating with Chinese companies: The Fragile Bridge. And for the last five years, whenever anyone asks me what book they should read to learn more about how to negotiate with Chinese companies I always recommend The Fragile Bridge. Earlier this week, someone to whom I made this recommendation emailed me with the following:

Thanks for recommending The Fragile Bridge to me. Took me quite a while to get started with it but once I did, I couldn’t put it down. Hupert clearly knows how to handle Chinese companies and I appreciated how how he does not drone on for an extra 100 pages, as so many other others who write about China feel compelled to do. Any particular reason why you never recommended it on your blog?

Whoops. no particular reason other than oversight.

Here’s the thing, and somewhat in my defense: I hate writing book reviews. My father was an English professor and so I learned at an early age that good book reviews must consist of more than “loved it, buy it and you will too.” And yet writing much beyond that is a ton of work. Maybe worst of all, it requires reading a book slowly and taking notes, which contrasts with my style, which is to read books as quickly as possible with no note taking whatsoever.

When I tell people how tough I find writing book reviews, they always wonder why it would be any tougher than just writing a blog post. Most of my blog posts come fast to me because they mostly consist of my putting in writing what I tell clients as part of my work, or what I hear other China lawyers in my firm tell clients as part of their work. Or else it’s just me pulling from my own emails to clients or, better yet and easier still, my pulling emails from the other China attorneys in my firm to clients.

But writing a book review is real work for which there is no bill at the end. That’s what I call tough.

But I do agree that I should have reviewed Fragile Bridge a long time ago, so here goes.

Great book. Loved it. Uber-practical. If you will be negotiating with a Chinese company, you must buy it. Now!

But wait, there’s more. Amazon describes the book as follows, and I swear to you that its description is 100% spot on, and here it is;

Written by an American for Westerners negotiating in China, “The Fragile Bridge” dispenses with politically correct euphemisms and ivory tower pseudo-psychology. The Chinese want your technology, intellectual property and product designs. You want their markets, resources and labor. Knowing which 1,500 year-old philosopher uttered what esoteric phrase won’t help you safeguard your assets or keep your JV operating, but learning from the lessons of dozens of successful Westerners who have survived the China challenge just might. Andrew Hupert’s even-handed analysis uncovers the sources of conflict in Western-Sino negotiation and anticipates the trajectory that business disputes travel. “The Fragile Bridge” offers readers practical, insightful advice for avoiding, containing and managing China business conflicts of all shapes and sizes. Case studies and examples illustrate each observation. The book ends with a list of highly practical best practices that are appropriate for newcomers and “Old China Hands” alike.

How can you not want to read a book described as per the above? I particularly love the line about how “the Chinese want your technology, intellectual property and product designs,” because I’ve been known to start one of my China speeches with something like the following:

Big companies in China want to steal your IP. Small companies in China want to steal your IP. Government-owned companies want to steal it. Privately held companies want to steal it. And even that company that is run by someone who invited you to his daughter’s wedding—that company also wants to steal your IP. This is not a reason not to do business with Chinese companies, but it is a reason for you to be sure to do business the right way with those companies.

I gotta love an author who thinks like me.

Anyway, just buy the book.

We will be discussing the practical aspects of Chinese law and how it impacts business there. We will be telling you what works and what does not and what you as a businessperson can do to use the law to your advantage. Our aim is to assist businesses already in China or planning to go into China, not to break new ground in legal theory or policy.