跨文化视角下中美商务谈判技巧研究

ChapterOneIntroductionWiththedevelopmentofeconomicglobalization,China'seconomicstrengthisincreasinglystrengthening,andtradeactivitiesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesarebecomingmorefrequent.Negotiationskillsplayacrucialroleinbusinessnegotiations.Duetodifferentculturalbackgrounds,thereareculturaldifferencesinvalues,waysofthinking,andtimeconceptsbetweenthetwosides.Therefore,scholarshavestudiedSino-Americanbusinessnegotiationsfromacross-culturalperspective,studiedtheimpactofculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesonbusinessnegotiations,andproposedeffectivenegotiationsuggestions.InSino-Americanbusinessnegotiations,negotiationskillsplayadecisiverole.Therefore,itisimportantforbusinessnegotiatorstounderstandtheculturalcharacteristicsofbothpartiesandanalyzenegotiationskillsfromtheperspectiveofculturaldifferences.Inaddition,negotiatorsneedtoadoptappropriatenegotiationskillstoeffectivelypromotethesmoothprogressofbusinessnegotiationsandlayafoundationforsubsequentcooperationandexchanges,whichwillhelpChinagaingreateradvantagesinSino-AmericanbusinessnegotiationsandpromoteSino-Americancooperationandculturalexchange.WiththedevelopmentofeconomicglobalizationandChina'saccessiontotheWorldTradeOrganization,tradeactivitiesbetweenChinaandvariouscountrieshavebecomemoreandmorefrequent.SinceChina'sreformandopeningup,China'seconomyhasdevelopedrapidlyandithasbecomeadevelopingcountry.Asaverypowerfuldevelopedcountry,theUnitedStatesisanimportanttradingpartnerofChina.TheexchangesbetweenthetwocountriesalsopromotemorebusinessnegotiationsbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates.Therefore,negotiationskillsarealsoparticularlyimportantinbusinessnegotiation.Negotiationskillsplayakeyroleinbusinessnegotiationanddeterminethesuccessofnegotiation.However,bothChinaandtheUnitedStateshavetheirownculturalbackgrounds.Chinaisahigh-contextculturalbackground,whiletheUnitedStatesisalow-contextculturalbackground.Duetothedifferentculturalbackgrounds,thereareculturaldifferencesinthevalues,waysofthinkingandtimeconceptsofbothsides,sobothsideswillchoosedifferentnegotiationskills.Asanegotiatorinbusinessnegotiation,notonlyneedtohaveprofessionaltheoreticalknowledgeofnegotiation,butalsoneedtofullyunderstandtheculturalbackgroundoftheothercountry.Onlyonthepremiseofaclearunderstandingofeachother'snationalculturecanthenextbusinessnegotiationbecarriedoutsmoothly.Scholarsanalyzebusinessnegotiationoralinkinbusinessnegotiationfromacross-culturalperspective.Atthesametime,theywillanalyzetheculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates,andanalyzetheimpactofcross-cultureonbusinessnegotiation.ScholarsstudySino-Americanbusinessnegotiationthroughculturaldimensiontheory.MostofthesurveysaretostudytheimpactofculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesonbusinessnegotiations,andputforwardsuggestionsonthevalues,waysofthinkingandtimeconceptsintheculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates.However,inbusinessnegotiation,negotiationskillsplayadecisiverole.Duetothedifferentculturesofthetwocountries,thenegotiationskillsusedatdifferentstagesofnegotiationarealsodifferent,whicharerelatedtowhetherthenegotiationcanproceedsmoothly.Therefore,itisimportanttochoosethehigh-contextculturaltheoryandthelow-contextculturaltheoryinthecross-culturalcommunicationtheory,dividethebusinessnegotiationskillsintolanguageskillsandnon-languageskills,andanalyzethelanguageskillsandnon-languageskills.BystudyingbusinessnegotiationskillsbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesfromacross-culturalperspective,firstunderstandtheculturalcharacteristicsofbothsides,andanalyzethenegotiationskillsfromtheperspectiveofculturaldifferences,soastohaveadeeperunderstandingofthenegotiationskills.ItishelpfulforChinatoadoptdifferentnegotiationskillsintimewhenfacingdifferentemergenciesinbusinessnegotiation.Adoptingdifferentnegotiationskillsattherighttimecaneffectivelypromotethesmoothprogressofbusinessnegotiationandlaythefoundationforthefollowingcooperationandexchange.Onthepremiseofunderstandingthecultureoftheothercountry,adoptappropriateskillstonegotiate.TheresultsofthisstudywillhelpChinatogaingreateradvantagesinSino-AmericanbusinessnegotiationsandpromotethesuccessofSino-USbusinessnegotiations.ThesuccessofSino-AmericancooperationisconducivetotheexchangeanddevelopmentofChina'spolitics,economy,trade,scienceandtechnology,cultureandotheraspects,andpromotesthedevelopmentoftheglobaleconomy.Itcanalsospreadthecultureofthetwocountriesandpromotefriendlyexchangesbetweenthetwopeoples.Inaddition,understandingtherelevantconceptsofbusinessnegotiationsalsoplaysacrucialroleinthesuccessofbusinessnegotiations.Businessnegotiationreferstotheprocessinwhichbothpartiesreachthecooperationgoalthroughaseriesofnegotiationsinordertofacilitateacertaintransactionorstriveforgreatereconomicbenefitsfortheirownparty.Ithasplayedaveryimportantroleintheeconomicdevelopmentofsociety,thecountryandtheworld.Businessnegotiationisanartofobtainingwhatyouneedthroughnegotiation.Whenconductingbusinessnegotiation,bothpartiesadheretotheprincipleofequality,voluntarinessandwin-wincooperationforcommunicationandexchange.Businessnegotiationskillsmeansthatnegotiatorscanflexiblyusespecifictechnologiesaccordingtodifferentstagesofnegotiationinnegotiationactivities,suchasusinglanguageskillsornon-languageskillstoreversethenegotiationsituationandensurethesmoothprogressofnegotiation.Therearemanyskillsinbusinessnegotiation.Youneedtochoosetheskillsaccordingtothespecificnegotiationsituationinordertogaingreateradvantagesinthenegotiationandgrasptheinitiativetoachievetheexpectednegotiationobjectives.Whenconductingbusinessnegotiations,itisveryimportanttolearnselectionskills.Asthesayinggoes,"agoodstartishalfthebattle",thenselectingpracticalskillsisthekeytoachievingcooperation.Thechoiceofnegotiationskillscanstrivefortheinitiativeinthenegotiation.Negotiatorsusethenegotiationskillstomaintaintheirowninterests,andusetheiradvantagestoachievethebestnegotiationoutcomebyunderstandingthenegotiationmethodsofthenegotiationopponents.Flexibleuseofnegotiationskillscancreateagoodnegotiationatmosphere,promotethesmoothprogressofnegotiations,achievethenegotiationobjectivesassoonaspossible,andachievewin-winresults.ChapterTwoTheoreticalBasisCrossculturalcommunicationreferstothecommunicationbetweenpeoplewithdifferentlanguageandculturalbackgrounds.Atthesametime,cross-culturalcontextcanbedividedinto"highcontextculture"and"lowcontextculture".Thecharacteristicofhighcontextculturalinteractionisthatitconveyslessinformationandmoreimplicitinformation,whilelowcontextculturalinteractionconveysmoreinformationandless.InChina,whichbelongstoahighcontextculture,negotiatorsprefertoavoiddirectdenialduringnegotiations,payattentiontosavingfacefortheotherparty,andexpresstheirattitudeinatactfulandimplicitway.TheUnitedStates,whichbelongstoalowcontextculture,demandsthatnegotiatorsseektruthfromfacts.Duetodifferentculturalbackgroundsbetweentwocountries,culturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatescanaffectthesuccessofbusinessnegotiations.Inaddition,businessnegotiationisaprocessinwhichbothpartiesachievecooperationgoalsthroughaseriesofnegotiations.Underthepremiseofasystematicunderstandingofbasictheories,negotiatorscanflexiblyusenegotiationskills,createagoodnegotiationatmosphere,promotesmoothnegotiation,andachievewin-winresults.Theconceptofinterculturalcommunicationisdiverse.BaiduEncyclopediadefinesinterculturalcommunicationas"communicationbetweennativespeakersandnon-nativespeakers,whichalsoreferstocommunicationbetweenpeoplewithdifferencesinlanguageandculturalbackground.Generallyspeaking,itmeanswhatshouldyoupayattentiontowhendealingwithforeignersandhowtocommunicateappropriately".Cross-culturalcommunicationrequiresthatbothpartieshavedifferentculturalbackgrounds,andthesamelanguageisneededforreal-timecommunication.EdwardHallfirstpointedoutin“BeyondCulture”in1976thatbothsidesofanycommunicationwillbeaffectedbythesocialandculturalrelationshipenvironmentandspecificcommunicationsituation,whichbroadensthevisionofpeople'scross-culturalcommunicationresearch.Hallbelievesthatwheninvestigatingspecificlanguagecommunicationactivities,wecannotavoidthesocialandculturalbackgroundofbothparties.Heopenedanewsituationforthestudyofcontextandcreativelydividedcontextinto"highcontext"and"lowcontext".“Accordingtoculturaldifferences,communicationcanbedividedintohighcontext,mediumcontext,andlowcontext.Highcontextculturalinteractionischaracterizedbylessinformationconveyedandmoreimplicitinformation.Lowcontextculturalinteractionischaracterizedbymoreinformationconveyedandlessimplicitinformation.”2.1HighContextCulturalTheoryThetheoryofhigh-contextculturewasfirstputforwardbytheAmericananthropologistEdwardHall.Inhigh-contextculture,thereislessdirectexpressionofinformationandmoreimpliedinformation.Mostoftheinformationisgenerallyexportedbythesurroundingsocialandculturalenvironment.Itischaracterizedbyimplicitandmorenon-verbalcoding.Highcontextcultureusuallyreliesonnonverbalcommunication,mainlyonthetraditionalhabits,valuesandsociallyrecognizedbehaviorsformedbyhumanlong-termlife.Chinesepeoplewhobelongtoahigh-contextculturedonotlikebeingaggressive.Iftheydisagreewiththeotherpartyinthenegotiation,theywilltrytoavoiddirectdenial,reduceconfrontation,payattentiontosavingfacefortheotherparty,liketouseeuphemisticandimplicitexpressionstoexpresstheirattitude,andhopetolettheotherpartyunderstandtheirdeepmeaningthrougheuphemisticandimplicitmethods.2.2LowContextCulturalTheoryThelowcontextculturetheorywasputforwardbyEdwardHallwhenheputforwardthehighcontextculturetheory.Inthelowcontextculture,morelanguageinformationisdirectlyexpressed,andlessinformationisconveyedbytheenvironment.Thelow-contextculturerequiresnegotiatorstoseparatepeopleandthings.Americansbelongingtothelow-contextcultureemphasizetheworkingrelationshipratherthanpersonalrelationship.Itscharacteristicsaredirectandclear,withmanylanguagecodes,andgenerallydirectcommunication.Countrieswithlow-contextculturaltheoriesliketodealwiththematterasitis,andtheywilldirectlyputforwardtheproblemandthensolveit.Therefore,whenChinaandtheUnitedStatesconductbusinessnegotiations,therewillbeahugeculturaldifferencebetweenChinawithahighcontextcultureandtheUnitedStateswithalowcontextculture.ChinesepeoplewillthinkthatthelowcontextculturalcommunicationmodeoftheUnitedStatesisnotpolite,regardlessofthefeelingsofothers.AmericanswillthinkthattheChinesepeoplewhoexpresseuphemisticallyandimplicitlyarenotsincere,andmaythinkthattheChinesepeoplearenotsincereincooperation.Bothsideshaveadeepmisunderstandingofeachother,whichwillaffecttheircooperation.ChapterThreeTheEmbodimentofCulturalDifferencesBetweenChinaandtheUnitedStatesinNegotiationSkillsThetwocountrieshavedifferentculturalbackgrounds,andbothhavetheirowncustoms.Duetothedifferentlivingenvironment,thetwocountrieshaveformeddifferentetiquettecustomsintheirlong-termlife.Bothsideshavetheirownuniquevalues,modesofthinkingandconceptsoftime,soculturaldifferencesmakebothsideshavedifferentunderstandingandideasonthechoiceofnegotiationskills.Thispaperanalyzesculturaldifferencesinvalues,modesofthinkingandconceptsoftimefromtheperspectiveofhighandlowcontextculturaltheory.3.1DifferencesinValuesChinaisanancientcountrywithacivilizationhistoryofmorethan5000years,withalonghistory,cultureandnationaltradition,whichisthecrystallizationofthewisdomoftheChinesenation.DuringtheSpringandAutumnPeriodandtheWarringStatesPeriod,thethinkerConfuciusfoundedConfucianismandputforwardthe"fiveelements"thought,inwhich"benevolence"wasthecorethoughtandbecamethehighestmoralstandardofhumanbeings,advocatingtolerance,mutualrespectandlove,andrespectforothers.Sinceancienttimes,theChinesepeoplehavebeendeeplyaffectedbyitforgenerations.TheChinesepeopleadvocatethevaluesofcollectivism.Intherelationshipbetweenthestateandindividuals,theyinsistoncombiningthenationalcollectiveinterestsandindividualinterests,puttingthenationalinterestsfirst,andgivingfullplaytotheroleofindividualvaluestopromotethedevelopmentofthecountry.Chinesepeoplewithahighcontextandculturalbackgroundrespecttheirsuperiorsintheirwork,theyareloyal,theyhaveaclearhierarchy,andpaymoreattentiontotheestablishmentofinterpersonalrelationshipsinthenegotiationprocess.Inbusinessnegotiation,negotiatorswillreportthedetailsofthenegotiationtotheirsuperiors,andthenreporttheresultstothedecision-makers.ThisbehaviorwillslowdowntheprogressofthenegotiationandmaycausedissatisfactionfromAmericans.Therefore,weneedtoadoptnegotiationskillstoeasethenegotiationatmosphereanddeadlock.Inaddition,theChinesepeopleareveryhospitable,holdingabanquettoentertaintheotherpartyafterthebusinessnegotiation.However,comparedwiththeChina,theUnitedStatesbelongstoalow-contextculturalcountry.Americansadvocateindividualism,seektruthfromfacts,andliketoseparateworkandprivateaffairs.Theyadvocatefreedomandequality,andtaketherealizationofpersonalvaluesastheirlifegoal.TheUnitedStatesisstillacountrywithastrongsenseoflaw.Inbusinessnegotiations,Americannegotiatorsliketopursuethepracticalbenefitsbroughtbycooperation,distinguishbetweenpublicandprivate,andattachimportancetothesigningofcontracts.Inbusinessnegotiations,everyoneisequal,everyonehastherighttospeak,andtheycanspeakupandcommunicatewiththeirsuperiorswhentheycomeupwithsuggestions.Therefore,whenconductingbusinessnegotiationsbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates,itisanecessaryprerequisitetounderstandtheculturalbackgroundoftheotherparty.3.2DifferencesinThinkingModesChinaandtheUnitedStatesarehigh-contextcountriesandlow-contextcountriesrespectively.Therearehugedifferencesinthewayofthinkingbetweenthetwocountries.China,whichbelongstocollectivism,isthelargestdevelopingcountry.The"theBeltandRoad"proposedbyChinahasdriventhedevelopmentofsurroundingcountries.ChinahaslongbeeninfluencedbyConfucianism,andhasestablishedaculturalsystembasedonreligiousbeliefsandmoralsentiments.Chinesepeopleareveryloyaltopeopleandthings.Inbusinessnegotiation,wemaygivemoreconsiderationtothecollectiveandpayattentiontoourowninfluenceonthenegotiation.Therefore,Chinesenegotiatorswillconceivethestructureofthenegotiationbeforethenegotiation.Theywillalsoconsulttheotherparty'sinformationseveraltimesbeforethenegotiationandselectthenegotiationskillsaccordingtotheinformation.Theyliketoexpresstheirviewsinatactfulandimplicitwayduringthenegotiation,givingbothsidesface,andaregoodatusingspiralthinking.Whensolvingproblems,Chinesenegotiatorswillusetheiremotionsandsurroundingenvironmenttoinfecteachother.Atthesametime,Chinesenegotiatorsaregoodatusingthewayofthinkingthattakesintoaccounttheoverallsituationandtakescareofeveryone'sfeelings.Asacountrythatattachesgreatimportancetopersonalinterests,theUnitedStatespaysmoreattentiontopersonalvalues.Americansarestraightforwardandsimple.Theylovetohelpothers.Theyhavearichimagination,payattentiontothenatureandlawsofthingsandpeople,andliketoseektruthfromfacts.Theyaregoodatusinglinearthinking.Americansdon'tthinkabouttheconsequenceswhentheydothings.Theyfocusonenjoyingtheprocess.Innegotiations,Americanstendtoactinaccordancewiththelaw,maintainacalmattitude,andarenotemotionalandveryrational.3.3DifferencesinTimeConceptsTheanthropologistEdwardHalloncedividedtimeintomonochronictimeandpolychronictimesystem.Theunidirectionaltimesystemcanbeunderstoodasonlydoingonethingatthesametime,andthemultidirectionaltimesystemreferstotheabilitytohandlemultiplethingsandrelationshipsatthesametime.Americansareusedtoone-waytimekeeping,whileChinaisbetweenone-waytimekeepingandmultidirectionaltimekeeping.Thepaceoflifeinbigcitiesisinthetransitiontoone-waytimekeeping.However,whenChinesepeopleconductbusinessnegotiations,theymostlyusethedirecttimesystem.Chinahasahistoryoffivethousandyears,andinthelonghistoryoffivethousandyears,theChinesenationhasformednoblemoralstandardsandtraditionalvirtues,andisknownas"acountryofancientcivilizationandetiquette".Chinesenegotiatorsyearnforaharmoniousnegotiationatmosphere.Chinesebusinessnegotiatorstendtoattachimportancetolong-termcooperationandfriendlyinterpersonalrelationshipswhennegotiating,andtheconceptofnegotiationtimeisnotdeep.Atthebeginningofthenegotiation,weshouldfocusongreetings,understandingandanalyzingeachother,andcultivatinggoodrelations.Aftertheendofthenegotiation,theChinesepeopleliketodotheirbesttomakefriendswiththehostcountry.Somenegotiationconditionsmaybereachedaftertheendofthenegotiation.Becauseofthehugedifferencesinculture,theAmericanconceptoftimeisquitedifferentfromthatofChinesepeople.Americansworkfastandefficiently.Theythinktimeismoney.Asahighlydevelopedcountry,theUnitedStatesattachesgreatimportancetocherishingtime,hasastrongsenseoftimeanddoesnotlikebeinglate.Thisiswhytheyoftenenterthetopicdirectlywhenconductingbusinessnegotiations.ForAmericans,punctualityisamanifestationofrespectforothers'time.ForAmericans,thedistinctionbetweenworkinghoursandresthoursisveryclear.Workinghoursonlytalkaboutwork,whileresthoursdonottalkaboutwork.ChapterFourTheAnalysisofSino-AmericanBusinessNegotiationSkillsWhenthetwocountriesconductbusinessnegotiationsundercross-culturalconditions,theyneedtoselectthenegotiationskillsthatareconducivetothesmoothnegotiationaccordingtotheculturalbackgroundofthetwocountries.Therefore,theyshouldfocusontheanalysisoflanguageskillsandnon-verbalskills.4.1LanguageSkillsBusinessnegotiationisaccomplishedthroughthetransferofinformationbetweennegotiators.Intheprocessofbusinessnegotiation,itisnecessarytocarefullylistentothenegotiators'statements,capturetheotherparty'snegotiatingintentions,andrespondinatimelymannertooccupyafavorablepositioninthenegotiation.WhenChinaandtheUnitedStatesconductcross-culturalbusinessnegotiations,eachlinkinthenegotiationswillaffectwhethertheycancontinuetocooperate.Themainreasonliesinthedifferentculturalbackgroundsofthetwosides.Therefore,itishopedthattheanalysisofhowtochooseskillsandprecautionsineachlinkofbusinessnegotiationwillhelpcross-culturalbusinessandculturalactivities.4.1.1NarrativeSkillsAgoodstartishalfthesuccess.Atthebeginningofthenegotiation,bothpartiesmetformallyforthefirsttime,buthavenotyetofficiallyenteredtheprenegotiationstage.Negotiatorsfrombothpartiesmayexperiencesignificantpsychologicalpressureandemotionaltension.Therefore,negotiatorscanusenarrativelanguageskillstoenterthenegotiationtopicinatactfulmanner.Next,thenegotiatorswillelaborateontheirnegotiationintentionsandobjectives,andtheyshouldpayattentiontotheobjectivity,standardization,accuracy,andpertinenceofthenegotiationlanguage.Atthesametime,itisimportanttograspthenarrativetimeduringthenegotiationprocess.Duetoculturaldifferencesanddifferentconceptsoftime,Americanspursueefficiencyandhopetoachievetheirgoalsinashorttime,withastrongpurpose.Americansattachgreatimportancetotheconceptoftime.InacasewhereaBraziliancompanywenttotheUnitedStatestopurchaseequipment,theBraziliannegotiatorarrived45minuteslateatthenegotiationsitebecauseofthelackofattentiontotheconceptoftime.TheAmericannegotiatorfeltverydissatisfiedandbelievedthathedidnotabidebythetimeagreementandhadnocredit.Afterthenegotiationbegan,theUnitedStateschoseaprovocativeopeningstrategytocatchupwiththelateevent.TheBraziliannegotiatorsconsciouslytooktheblameandwereinapassivestate.Inthiscase,theysignedacontractbeneficialtotheUnitedStates.Referringtotheaboveexample,duringthenegotiationnarrativestage,Chinesebusinessnegotiatorsneedtostrictlycontrolthenarrativetime,establishfriendlycooperativerelationships,andlaythefoundationforfuturelong-termcooperation.ItcanbeunderstoodthatwhenconductingbusinessnegotiationswiththeUnitedStates,ournegotiatorsshouldpayattentiontonarrativeskills.Whengreetingbeforenegotiations,weshouldusepolitelanguageandchooseneutraltopicsthatarenotrelatedtothenegotiation.However,thetimefordiscussionshouldnotbetoolong.Itisbettertoendwithintenminutestocreateafriendlyandhappynegotiationatmosphere.Whenexpressingopinions,itisimportanttobeconcise,concise,andorganized.Atthesametime,itisnecessarytoobserveandunderstandtheotherparty'snarrativeskills,andbringthemclosertoeachother.Inshort,beforeconductingbusinessnegotiations,itisnecessarytounderstandthetaboosofnegotiatingopponents.Understandandabidebytherulesoftheotherparty.Ifyoutouchtaboos,itwillnotonlycausemisunderstanding,butalsoleadtothefailureofnegotiations.Therefore,understandingthetaboocultureoftheotherpartyiscrucialtothebeginningofthenegotiation.4.1.2QuestioningSkillsInbusinessnegotiations,askingquestionsnotonlyhelpstounderstandtheotherparty'sthoughtsandgainmoreinformation,butalsopromotescommunicationbetweenbothparties.However,therearemanywaystoaskquestions,suchasconsultativequestioning,exploratoryquestioning,euphemisticquestioning,anddirectquestioning.ThethinkingstylesofChinaandtheUnitedStatesaredifferent,andduetothelowcontextculturalbackgroundoftheUnitedStates,theyattachgreatimportancetotimeandworkefficiency.Giventhischaracteristic,businessnegotiatorsneedtopreparequestionsinadvancetoavoiddelaysinnegotiationduetounclearexpressionduringquestioning.Atthesametime,negotiatorsshouldalsopayattentiontotheirquestioningattitude.Negotiatorsshouldhaveasincereandrespectfulattitudewhenaskingquestions.Adoptingdifferentquestioningtechniquesatdifferentnegotiationstagescanhelpnegotiatorsobtainvaluableinformation.Theuseofcorrectlanguageandpolitequestioningbynegotiatorsfrombothpartiesisbeneficialforachievingabetterwillingnesstocooperate.4.1.3AnsweringSkillsItisveryimportantforChinaandtheUnitedStatestorespondwhenconductingbusinessnegotiations.Chinesepeoplearegoodatusingimplicitlanguagetoexpresstheiropinions,spiralthinkingmode,liketouseemotions,expresstheirviewswiththehelpofthesurroundingenvironment,andareusedtoputtingcollectiveinterestsfirst.Americanshaveacleardistinctionbetweenpublicandprivate,linearwayofthinking,andvaluepersonalvalues.Duetothedifferentculturalperspectivesofbothpartiesandthedifferentresponsetechniqueschosenbynegotiators,differencescanleadtomisunderstandingsanddeadlockinnegotiations.Therefore,answeringquestionsrequiresfollowingtwoprinciples.Firstly,negotiatorsshouldprovidesincereresponses.Whenfacedwithquestionsraisedbytheotherparty,businessnegotiatorsshouldcarefullyconsiderandanswertruthfullybasedontheirownsituation.Americanslikelinearthinkingpatterns.Therefore,Chinesebusinessnegotiatorsshouldprovidetargetedanswersandfocusonthenatureoftheproblem.Secondly,negotiatorsshouldleaveroomfornegotiation.Forsomedifficultorincomprehensiblequestions,negotiatorsshouldnotimmediatelyanswerthem.Theyneedtothinkcarefullyandrespondpolitelyandvaguely.Itisveryimportanttolearntoreserveanswersandadaptaccordingly.Businessnegotiationrepresentativescarefullyconsiderandsincerelyrespondwhenresponding,creatingagoodnegotiationatmosphereandachievingwin-winresults.4.2Non-languageSkillsWhenconductingbusinessnegotiationsbetweenChinaandtheUnitedStates,carefulobservationwillrevealthatsomeofthebehaviorsofbothpartiesmaycausemisunderstandingtotheotherparty.Themainreasonisdifferentculturalbackgrounds.Indifferentculturalbackgrounds,ifyouwantthebusinessnegotiationtoproceedsmoothly,youmustunderstandtheculturalcharacteristics,etiquetteandcustoms,contextualcultureandotherknowledgeoftheothercountry,soastoachievethepurposeofcooperation.Therefore,inordertocarryoutbusinessnegotiationsmoothly,itwillbehelpfultoanalyzethefollowingskillsforcross-culturalbusinessnegotiation.4.2.1SelectionofEtiquetteBusinessetiquettecan