Mr Koehler believes China is easier to deal with than Japan's puzzle of rules and honorifics, and Taiwan's matrix of ceremonies and religion. Shanghai is quite simple to deal with. They are well-educated, competent workers. Lee Mack, an American who works with Chinese while editing Shanghai Talk magazine, says relationships build best when socialising after work. He says US and Chinese officials would be better off going bowling, cycling in a park, or singing karaoke instead of greeting each other with briefcases snapping open.
Diplomacy breeds more diplomacy.
Having fun leads to more fun. He says relations often break down due to design flaws. Friendships develop in China as elsewhere by finding things in common and building trust, he says. Christopher Johnson is a Shanghai-based journalist. South China Morning Post Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved.