Don’t hate the Chinese, learn from them

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Don’t hate the Chinese, learn from them

Tags: businesses, Chamber of Commerce, Chinese, local Posted date: February 15, 2011 | 6 Comments

By Tupuola Terry Tavita

A recent warning by the Chamber of Commerce of possible anti-Chinese riots similar to those in the Solomons and Tonga is cause for concern.

Not so much the suggestion of riots – as we know there is little, if any, anti-Chinese sentiment in the country – but the motive by which the warning was given. It could very well be interpreted as sinister, even instigating. Especially coming from an organization representing the interests of local business people.

Accompanying the warning from the Chamber on the front page of the local daily were pictures of car-burning, looting and hooded thugs rampaging the streets of Nukualofa and Honiara.

It was very suggestive.

Now this column would like to think that, as a people, we are a much more intelligent bunch than our neighbours. After all, we’ve always been accommodating of foreigners and our culture is inclusive in nature, accepting of those with a genuine intent to embrace it.

Besides, there are far too many level heads out there that do not give in – even oppose – the destructive pack mentality that riot and loot in numbers as we’ve seen elsewhere in the region.

In saying that, let’s not kid ourselves. Asians are here to make money just as anyone who goes into business does.

The key is to learn from how they do business. And the Chinese are the best.

It’ll be good for our business people – and those who aspire to go into business – to observe them closely.

The long hours they put in, the prices they offer and their spending habits.

If the Chinese store opens 24 hours-a-day then yours should too. Your prices have to be competitive and you should be spending less on yourself.

And who benefits in the end? The general consumer certainly does. He will have access to services at all hours, buy at fair prices and will no longer have to foot the shop owner’s excesses.

As anyone who has run a business will tell you, the basis of running a successful business lies with the principle of double entry book-keeping. It provides a record of what you owe and what is owed to you. It’s a simple and uncomplicated accounting system where you can control your stocks, manage your cash flows and most importantly, factor in your own wages. Far too many times businesses go into receivership, well bankrupt, because the owner has taken liberty with the business’s finances. The Chinese are very good at living within their means, saving their money and reinvesting in their business. Important attributes we can all learn from.

It is of no benefit to anyone – particular our consumers – that we cocoon our local business people with anti-foreigner anti-competition laws.

The call from our proud business people to the Chinese shop challenge should be, ‘We’ll show you how to do business, bring it!”

Now that’s the attitude.

POST-SCRIPT: Look at the bright side. It could’ve been a shopping magnate like Cost-U-Less rolling into town. Those people retail at wholesale prices. Now that would be a far bigger challenge to our retailers than the hard-working Chinese.

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6 Comments for Don’t hate the Chinese, learn from them

sitiseni

What can the government do to facilitate a level playing field? Can the local get access to loans and grants to challenge the foreigner in stocks and merchandise? Does it have regulations where the foreigner or any business person is restrained from starting a huge restaurant building and instead of having it completed keeps on bringing in containers of building materials and selling them at outrageous low prices without a liscence?. How can the local business compete against that? Yes, these foreign businesses sell at a lower prices but does the local consumer know what he puts in his mouth? Is it safe? Healthy? I have bought everything from utentsils to hardware and if you’re not careful the spoon/fork bends. The silver-coated faucets break after a week of usage.

Are these the traits you are advising the people to pick up from the foreigner? Ripping people off of their hard earned money is not good business sense. It is outright malicious and criminal.

It sounds like you’re very biased with your editorial against anybody that says anything negative about the government.

I do appreciate opportunity to have the people’s views expressed online. You are going to need a thick skin to take the good and the bad that comes in the name of progress.

First, “hate” is too strong a word to be used in the bigger business context of the editorial. How about “disparage”, “ignore” “underestimate” and the like?

Second, are the business principles you mentioned here originated in China or elsewhere? Or is it that the Chinese use them better than others? Modern business practices and principles – taught in prestigious Business Schools in Europe and America – have their origins in the West where individual innovation blossomed into today’s business culture and models. I cannot – and will not – say the same for a country which champions and promotes the interests of the state via its Communist ideology. Modern business is a Capitalist concept – not a Communist one. Today’s young Chinese entrepreneurs are using Western business principles and models to succeed and excel. China’s booming economy, however, is a result of some duplicitous schemes especially that of currency manipulation, which leads to keeping its exports cheaper and therefore bettering the competitors. Most experts see this current boom as being unsustainable. It’s fragile and is susceptible to a sudden crash with severe global effects and ramifications.

Third, Chinese and Samoan values clash. Business is a part of an overall elaborate system – social, economic, political and religious. Hence, just one of the many aspects of this interdependence is that Samoans believe in God (Chinese do not) and therefore would spare some time for worship and other social obligations and some stores will not open 24/7. Sabbath day observance is important to most Samoans. By the way, opening a store 24/7 does not guarantee success. It does not work everywhere every time; in fact, it could be a liability in places like Samoa.

Lastly, the basic business successes you attributed to the Chinese are based on universal “good common business sense” and not on some Chinese inceptions and ingenuity. There are many more important business principles than the superficial ones discussed here.

You seem quite vigilant in bootlicking the Chinese and being careful not to bite the hand that feeds at the same time.

Seems to me that LV is bootlicking up to the palagis from America and Europe.

Samoans actually share a lot of common values with the Chinese. The concept of respect for the elderly and senior citizens in an extended family context is the best example of Confuscian values which is similar to the Samoan concept of faaaloalo and osiaiga.

Whilst China might be politically communist, it is most definitely economically capitalist and culturally it is confuscian. Just because your American tv channels and schools taught you that communism in the USSR was the enemy, it doesn’t mean that everywhere else in the world follows Russian communism. China has at least 5000 years of history on which to base its concepts of the world on. It was the most advanced society on the planet for thousands of years before Europe took over in the last 400yrs.

In reality, the reason China is growing at breakneck speed (and why America is financially indebted to it) is pure and simply down to the damned hard work of the Chinese people.

Everywhere in the world that the Chinese immigrant populations are, whether it be Singapore, Malaysia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, or America, you will see hardworking Chinese people who work night and day for their crust and for a better life. This work ethic is what we Samoans should admire and emulate. In fact, half of Samoa is descended from the Chinese labourers who were shipped out to Samoa in the early 20th century and some of our most successful samoan businesses today are owned by Samoans of Chinese descent.

PS:
Thank you for trying – albeit futilely – to respond to my comments. It’s obvious how skimpy and deficient your factual and intellectual resources are to tackle the issues raised in this thread. Your points are not only superficial, but you keep referring and resorting to the work ethic of the Chinese as your main – and only – recourse. You made it sound as if “hard work” is something that was invented by the Chinese.

So you claim that Russian communism and Chinese communism are different? Are they different in both practice and principle – or just the former? Are they different to the extent that Marxism is absent in one and not the other? Are they different in their interpretation of a one-party system (no pun intended)? Are they different in their emphasis on state rights over the individual’s? And speaking of individual/human rights – something that you as an HRPP supporter embrace – do you see eye to eye with the Chinese on that issue?

Finally, please qualify the fact that “half of Samoa is descended from Chinese labourers….”

And I hope the Chinese are not offended by your transliteration of Confucian (not Confuscian) Seems like ua kele kele lou confusion. Are you sure you’re not inebriated?

Is that all you got? lol Ua kele kele ou kala ae ga o le akigi apa ga pa’o mai ai…

Difference in Russian and Chinese communism? Easy. They went to war, albeit a short war, in the 1960s over their northern border. That is the only difference you need to worry yourself about. It was because of that war that the Americans under Nixon started being friendly with Beijing.

Your attempts to instil fear in Samoans about the Chinese is laughable. China is the fastest growing economy in the world because of ordinary Chinese people working hard and a central government which is focused on economic growth (obviously for their own survival). This whole issue of currency manipulation is just a piss-poor excuse by the americans because they cannot compete. The whole reason why there is a global recession in the first place is because of the corrupt American financial sector imploding on itself.

Oh and by the way, the only example of a hostile takeover of a Pacific country by a foreign power is Hawaii. Taken over by american business men because the indigenous government wasn’t playing ball.

Se malo PS!

First, you’re not responding to points and questions that I raised and if you did, you were way off – or you’re equivocating and trying to steer the discussion elsewhere. For instance, I said that Russian and Chinese communism are not different. They may be “different” in practice but not in principle – they both are based on Marxism. Your dubious answer on the border war as the “only difference” – that I should worry about – proves my initial point that, again, Russian and Chinese communism at the core are the same. Therefore, unbeknownst to you – stemming from your obvious ineptness – you’re shooting yourself in the foot. And by the way, those questions were rhetorical ones.

Second, I am not instilling fear in Samoans about the Chinese. That’s a claim made by a debater who is groping for answers, then resorts to generalizations. My points of argument are still within civil and pedantic bounds. Why don’t you blame the editorial (yours?) for using “hate” -which equates with “fear” – and not try to find a convenient scapegoat?

Third, Chinese may have a booming economy now, but the US is still number one. A trivial point anyhow. Here’s a more critical one: You cannot have a booming and sustainable economy without a strong foundation of basic economic – and political – fundamentals and principles. Included in these are innovation and other individual rights and freedoms. There’s always a danger in a society in which the individual is made a slave to the state and with power vested in a select few – group or party. Take note of the current events in Egypt, Lybia, Tunisia, etc. and it’s only a matter of time before we see the rest of totalitarian societies buckle to the popular will. Therefore, a totalitarian society with a booming economy is still suspect at best and duplicitous at worst.

Finally, what’s with the “hostile takeover” comment? You had just proved me right in saying that you are definitely inebriated. Your thoughts hence your writing are a mess, to say the least. You have not qualified some lousy and baseless claims you made yet you continue to expose your inadequacies. Even your Samoan is a perfect example of the Samoan which “fia palagi” people and/or novices speak. Little kids also speak awkward Samoan. The only other time I hear coarse broken Samoan is when a native speaker is drunk and his speech is slurred and distorted. Anyway, here’s the correct way of saying what you were trying to say: “Ua kele kele au (not “ou”) kala ae ga o le akigi apa ga [e] pa’o mai ai ….” That’s how a real Samoan speaks. Are you an “afa-Samoa”, “fia palagi” or …part-Chinese? …LOL!

Manuia le vaiaso uso!

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