Gifts, banquets and holidays with Chinese suppliers

Gifts

A modest gift from your own country or region, such as local food, a book of photographs or a small branded item, is welcome on a first visit and is read as respect. Present and receive it with both hands. Many Chinese hosts will not open a gift in front of you.

Traditionally some gifts are avoided: a clock, because the phrase for giving a clock sounds like a word for funerals, and white flowers, which are associated with mourning. Avoid anything expensive enough to be mistaken for a bribe, and keep to a clear company policy. For supplier gift and hospitality checks, see our supplier gifts and hospitality guide.

Business dinners

A meal with the supplier is common and is usually hosted by them. It is where relationships are built rather than where terms are agreed. Accept if you can, let the host order, and try what is offered. Toasts are normal: you can join with tea or a soft drink and say politely that you do not drink alcohol, or that you will sip.

Keep contracts and prices for the office and the written proforma. If something is said at dinner that matters, follow up in writing the next day.

Holidays and planning

Factories stop for Chinese New Year for a week or more, and the National Day holiday in early October also halts production and shipping for days. Staff leave early and return late, and the weeks around each holiday are crowded with orders. Place orders and agree deadlines well ahead, and do not expect replies during the break.

Use the China holiday calendar to see the dates each year, and read the etiquette guide for the broader picture.

Where we help

Our own staff in China handle the visits, dinners and follow-up so that your order is not held up by the calendar. See our factory visits service.