Business meeting and card etiquette in China

When you finally sit across the table from a supplier you have only known on WeChat, the first ten minutes set the tone. Chinese business meetings are warmer and more relationship-driven than the brisk Western style, and a little ceremony goes a long way. None of it is hard. It just rewards the buyer who has done their homework.

Before the meeting

A few things sorted in advance make you look like a serious partner.

• Be punctual, even early. Lateness reads as disrespect for the other person's time.
• Bring business cards, ideally with one side in English and one in simplified Chinese. They are still standard and expected.
• Find out who you are meeting and their rank. Knowing who the decision-maker is shapes how the room works.
• Dress neatly and conservatively. You do not need a stiff suit, but smart and tidy signals respect.

The business card ritual

Exchanging cards is a small ceremony, not an afterthought. Treat it with a bit of care and you start on the right foot.

1. Present your card with both hands, Chinese side facing the recipient so they can read it.
2. Receive their card with both hands too, and actually look at it.
3. Take a moment to read it. Note their name and title. Do not just pocket it instantly.
4. On the table, lay received cards out in front of you for the meeting. Do not write on them or stuff them in a back pocket while the owner is watching.

That pause to read a card is a quiet way of giving face, and people notice.

Seating and hierarchy

Seating in a Chinese meeting room is rarely random, and it follows rank. The most senior person and the most honoured guest get the best seats, often facing the door, with others arranged around them. The simplest move is to wait to be shown where to sit rather than picking a chair yourself.

Hierarchy also shapes the conversation. Address the most senior person first, and let them lead. Decisions often are not made on the spot, especially if the real decision-maker is not in the room, so do not push for a yes before it can be given.

Watch who everyone else defers to. That person is who you are really talking to, even if the English-speaker doing the talking is someone junior.

How the first meeting flows

Do not expect to open with price. A first meeting often starts with tea, small talk and getting to know each other, and that part is not filler. It is where trust, the foundation of guanxi, starts to form. Match the pace. Accept the tea, make warm conversation, and let business come up naturally.

When you do get to substance, keep it calm and respectful. Hard, aggressive bargaining lands badly in person, the same way it does over chat. The principles in negotiating with suppliers apply doubly across a table.

A quick pre-meeting checklist

• Cards printed, dual-language, plenty of them.
• A small thoughtful gift if it is a relationship meeting, wrapped well.
• Notes on who you are meeting and their roles.
• Your key numbers and questions written down clearly.
• A translator or translation app ready if needed.

Handle the meeting well and the relationship deepens. When you get back home and the order is agreed, you can make a request to settle in RMB on Alipay from Naira, so the partnership you built face to face is matched by payment that is just as clean and reliable.