Meeting and Greeting

Punctuality is critical—if you are late to a meeting in China, you will have insulted everyone. Expect your host to begin the conversation with small talk, says Barry Spaulding, a cross-cultural management consultant in New York City. It is not your place to speak first. “The pronunciation of the number ‘four’ is similar to the word ‘dead’ in Cantonese,” says Winny Miu, director of marketing communications at the Langham Hotel in Hong Kong, “so try to avoid scheduling events with ‘four’ in the date.”

Giving a Gift

Expect a polite “thank you” after presenting a gift, but do not expect a written note, as they are not the cultural norm.Avoid giving clocks or timepieces, as well as anything white—in Chinese culture, these all represent death.

Dining

“If you are thirsty at a meal, always put some [of the] beverage in the glass of the person sitting next to you first,” advises Foster. “That will cue him to fill your glass. This is a metaphor for how you do business in China: You don’t go in looking to take care of yourself. You do something for them first.”

Other Etiquette

Email is fine for following up on a business meeting, but it should never be your starting point for doing business together.“Asking for an immediate commitment to a business deal is a sure way to fail,” says Xiaoli Mei, president and founder of Xmei International, a Walnut Creek, Calif.-based company that focuses on business development in China. When you do business in China, he advises, it’s all about building relationships.