AsstrA Practices «Guanxi» in Urumqi

Globalization defines the modern age. Countries, continents, and cultures seem closer to each other than ever. Travel from one point of the globe to another is now measured in hours, not months. Almost everywhere you go in the world you will easily find familiar retail, hotel, and restaurant chains.

Even so, geographical and cultural boundaries do not fade and national identities remain. For a business relationship to stand the test of time, it must accommodate both sides’ cultural backgrounds – especially in Asia.

The world economy has long been tied closely to China. China is the world's largest exporter, the famous "factory of the world." Numerous European companies are interested in the Asian market and strive to master the regional customs and mentalities that govern it. 

For partners from China, a system of personal relations called "Guanxi" is the basis of cooperation and apparently communication in business.  A company’s ability to build "Guanxi" will determine its success or failure in the Chinese market.

There are no exceptions for foreign firms. AsstrA understands the unique characteristics of business relations with Chinese partners. Therefore, building a long-term business relationship demands personal meetings above all else, not just business correspondence and telephone conversations.

To this end, the AsstrA team visited the Chinese city of Urumqi, which was once an important point along the famous Silk Road. Currently, the place is once again playing a key role in international trade. It is the largest transit point on the Lanzhou-Xinjiang railway on the international Almaty - Beijing route.

Dmitry Gerber, Trade Tane Manager in the AsstrA Railway Transportation Department, describes the busy business trip to China:

"A logistics provider’s top priorities are to provide customers with excellent service by keeping their goods safe and ensuring on-time delivery. That’s what we do, and our cooperation with reliable and proven partners makes it all possible. Our long-term relationships with owners of railway parks, logistics operators, and customs agencies allow us to provide our customers with a comprehensive range of services. To support these relationships we organized this business trip to Urumqi. 

“Our three-day agenda included eight meetings with Chinese customers and carriers. We visited Urumqi’s rail station and met representatives of The Urumqi International Land Port Area. Through this terminal thousands of containers are sent to the CIS, Europe and Central Asia. There is also a customs point. As a result of our meetings, it was possible to agree with our Chinese partners how best to organize shipments as well as finalize the key terms of transshipment and warehouse space rental for the needs of our customers. Mission accomplished."