Tips for travelling to China on Business

By

Sara Cheng

Formally Head of International Business, My Business

Sara Cheng, Head of International Business at My Business, shares her tips for travelling to China on business below.

Safety and security

Before you travel to China for business, it’s a good idea to:

• arrange to have easy access to funds at all times
• arrange a way of staying in contact with family or friends.

And once you arrive, you should:

• Maintain a high level of personal security awareness at all times. Although considered generally safe for travellers, crime directed at foreigners is becoming more frequent in major cities and tourist areas. While serious crime against foreigners is rare, petty crime such as pickpocketing and purse snatching is not uncommon.
• Avoid large public gatherings or demonstrations, particularly those of a political nature. A small number of bombings have occurred in China, including one recently.
• Be aware that driving in China can be hazardous due to the poor quality of many roads. The safety standards that you might expect from tour operators and public buses, especially in rural areas, may be different to what you’re used to. Child safety seats and seat belts are also not widely available in taxis.
• Be aware that travel and living conditions vary greatly between developed city areas and the less developed rural areas. If you are planning to travel outside major city or tourist areas, make sure you have sufficient essential items with you.

Travel from the airport

The two busiest international airports are Beijing Capital International Airport and Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport. Both are around 30 minutes from the city. If you need to take a taxi, make sure to use an official taxi line outside the terminal.

Making calls to China

The country code for China is 86.

When you’re in China and want to dial one of the following regions, use the relevant area code below followed by the 7-digit phone number:

• 010 for Beijing
• 020 for Guangzhou (Canton)
• 021 for Shanghai.

If you need to call these regions from another country, dial the area codes without the first 0.

Exchanging money and tipping

The Bank of China should be able to offer you a better exchange rate than your hotel. Avoid exchanging currency with people on the street. You’ll need your passport for identification when exchanging travellers cheques.

Although tipping isn’t customary in China, it’s acceptable to tip tour guides, drivers and hotel staff.

Language

Mandarin, also known as ‘putonghua’ or ‘the common language’, is the preferred language for business meetings, formal occasions or banquets. It is the official language and is spoken by the majority of Chinese people. Other dialects of minority nationalities can be heard in regional areas.

In more informal settings, people may lapse into their own dialect with other native speakers.

There is only one written Chinese language but with two different forms:

• full form, which has complicated characters and is used in Hong Kong, Taiwan and overseas
• simplified form, which has simple characters and is used on the mainland and in Singapore.

English is not widely used in China, although it is regarded as the most important international language. Highly educated people often speak English in China, whereas there’s usually limited understanding at the less educated levels. 

If you plan on meeting with Chinese people who aren’t comfortable speaking English, you may want to hire a translator to enable a smoother conversation.

Forms of address

• ‘Mr’, ‘Mrs’ and ‘Ms’ are now used.
• On formal occasions, people are addressed by their family name. Only when you become familiar with someone do you use other terms of address.
• The Chinese surname goes before the given name. The first character or the first sound is always the family name.
• Don't assume familiarity quickly. Your relationship may remain on the basis of ‘Mr’ or ‘Mrs’ forever in some cases.
• When Chinese are friendly with each other, they often use ‘Lao Li’ and ‘Xiao Li’: ‘Lao’ for a senior person or ‘Xiao’ for a young person.

Business travel to china etiquette

• In China, if you want to beckon a person to come closer or get their attention, you hold one hand facing down and move your fingers toward you as though you are scratching the palm of your hand.
• Don’t point using your index finger – point using your hand.
• While the Chinese bow to greet each other, a handshake is more often extended to Westerners.

Sara Cheng

Formally Head of International Business, My Business

Sara specialises in international business strategy development, international market development, and business investment in China. She has extensive experience in these areas and previously worked for the Australia China Business Council.