One party of the stakeholders in the negotiation is usually a foreign government, company or citizen (at this stage, it also includes companies and businessmen in Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan), and the other party is the Chinese government, business or citizen. International business negotiation is an indispensable and important link in foreign economic and trade work. In modern international society, many transactions often require difficult and tedious negotiations. Although many people believe that whether the goods provided by the exchange are of high quality, advanced technology or low price determines the success or failure of the negotiation, in fact the success or failure of the transaction often depends on Part of that depends on the success of the negotiations. In international business activities, different stakeholders need to negotiate on issues of mutual concern or interest, coordinate and adjust their respective economic or political interests, and seek to compromise on a certain point, so that both parties can Feeling in a good position to reach an agreement. Therefore, we can say that international business negotiation is a very important economic activity that is prevalent in foreign economic and trade activities. It is necessary to adjust and resolve the inevitable conflicts of economic interests between governments and business institutions in different countries and regions. An indispensable means.

Characteristics of international business negotiation

International business negotiation has both the characteristics of general business negotiation and the particularity of international economic activities, which are reflected in:

1 ． Strong political nature

International business negotiation is not only a business transaction negotiation, but also an international communication activity, which has a strong policy nature. Since the business relationship between the two parties is part of the overall economic relationship between the two countries or two regions, and often involves the political and diplomatic relations between the two countries, the governments of the two countries or regions often intervene and influence the business negotiations during the negotiation. . Therefore, international business negotiations must implement the relevant national policies and foreign policies. At the same time, attention should also be paid to national policies and the implementation of a series of laws and regulations on foreign economic and trade.

2． Based on international commercial law

Since the results of international business negotiations will lead to the cross-border transfer of assets, it will inevitably involve a series of issues such as international trade, international settlement, international insurance, and international transportation. Therefore, in international business negotiations, China must take international commercial law as the norm and be based on international practice. Therefore, negotiators must be familiar with various international practices, the legal provisions of the other country's country, and the various regulations of international economic organizations and international law. These issues cannot be covered in general domestic business negotiations and require special attention.

3． We must adhere to the principle of equality and mutual benefit

In international business negotiations, we must adhere to the principle of equality and mutual benefit, neither imposing on others nor accepting unequal conditions. Our country is a socialist developing country, and equality and mutual benefit are an important principle of our foreign policy. The so-called equality and mutual benefit means that all countries, big or small, rich or poor, strong or weak, should be equal in their mutual relations. In mutual trade, what is needed should be exchanged according to the needs and requirements of both parties at fair and reasonable prices, so that both parties can benefit and promote each other's economic development. When conducting international business negotiations, regardless of whether the country is rich or poor, or the client is large or small, as long as the other party is sincere, we must treat them equally. We must neither force others to make things difficult nor accept the other party's unreasonable demands. When dealing with certain foreign businessmen who take advantage of their monopoly position to raise or lower prices, they must neither be humble nor overbearing, and fight with reason. For some developing countries or economically backward regions, we cannot use our power to suppress others or bully others. We should embody the principle of equality and mutual benefit.

4. Negotiations are difficult

Because negotiators in international business negotiations represent the interests of different countries and regions, have different social, cultural, economic and political backgrounds, people's values, ways of thinking, behaviors, languages ??and customs Habits vary, making the factors that affect negotiations more complex and making negotiations more difficult. In the actual negotiation process, the situation of the opponents is ever-changing and their styles are different. Some are passionate and some are taciturn; some are decisive and some are suspicious and hypocritical; some are well-intentioned collaborators and some are deliberately provocative; some are modest and some are arrogant. Arrogant and domineering pretentious person. All these manifestations are related to a certain social culture. Economic and political related.

Different performances reflect that different negotiators have different values ??and different ways of thinking. Therefore, negotiators must have extensive knowledge and superb negotiation skills. They must not only be able to use them freely at the negotiation table, but also pay attention to the preparation of materials and the collection of information before negotiation, so that the negotiation can go smoothly according to the predetermined plan. carried out.

Principles of international business negotiations

1. The principle of equality Equality is an important prerequisite for the smooth progress and success of international business negotiations. In international economic exchanges, negotiation activities between enterprises not only reflect the relationship between enterprises, but also the relationship between countries. They require each other to conduct trade and economic affairs on an equal footing on the basis of respecting their respective rights and national integrity. Cooperation matters. In international business negotiations, equality requirements include the following aspects: (1) All parties to the negotiation have equal status. Countries, big or small, rich or poor, companies, strong or weak, and individuals, regardless of their power, all have equal status in economic and trade negotiations. Don't be arrogant, domineering, or impose your own views and will on others. All parties in the negotiation respect the sovereignty and wishes of the other party, and negotiate on a voluntary basis based on each other's needs and possibilities. Issues involving differences in interests and opinions should be properly resolved through friendly consultations and should not be forced upon others. Do not use coercion or deception to achieve your own transaction goals, and do not accept forced opinions and unreasonable demands from the other party. Using strong and coercive measures will only lead to the breakdown of negotiations. (2) All parties to the negotiation have equal rights and obligations. In the negotiation of business transactions, all countries have equal rights and obligations. They should not only enjoy the rights equally, but also bear the obligations equally. The rights and obligations of negotiators are specifically reflected in a series of transaction conditions of the negotiating parties, including prices, standards, materials, plans, tariffs, transportation, insurance, etc. that involve the trade interests of all parties. For example, in the World Trade Organization, trade and negotiations between countries must reduce tariffs fairly and reasonably in accordance with relevant rules, especially limiting or eliminating non-tariff barriers. Each party to the negotiation is the owner of its own interests, has the right to get what it needs from the negotiation, and has the right to demand a fair deal that is equal in value, mutually beneficial, and everyone gets something. Price is a concentrated expression of the transaction conditions of commercial negotiations. It is inevitable for all parties to bargain. However, negotiations should be carried out on a fair and reasonable price. The pricing of import and export commodities should be negotiated equally based on the international market price level. It is beneficial to both parties to follow the market trend. In order to bridge differences on price and other transaction conditions and successfully resolve disputes in negotiations, different opinions need to be judged according to fair standards, and the fair standards should be the standards agreed upon by all parties to the negotiation. In terms of negotiation information, negotiators have both the right to obtain true information and the obligation to provide true information to the other party. The proposal, selection and acceptance of negotiation plans and other conditions should comply with the principle of reciprocity of rights and obligations. The more rights a negotiator enjoys, the more obligations he or she needs to bear, and vice versa. (3) All parties to the negotiation are equal in signing and fulfilling the contract. The result of business negotiations is the signing of a trade and cooperation agreement or contract. The formulation of the terms of the agreement must be fair and reasonable, conducive to the realization of the goals of the negotiating parties, and ensure that the interests of all parties can be satisfied to the greatest extent. When signing a contract and fulfilling it, "every party is a winner." This sentence by American scholar Neil Lenberg fully reflects the equality requirement of negotiation and can be said to be a wise saying for successful negotiation. Once a negotiation contract is established, all aspects of the negotiation must "observe the contract and keep promises", "be true to your words and be resolute in your deeds", strictly abide by them and implement them strictly. When signing a contract, no unreasonable conditions are allowed. When performing the contract, you cannot arbitrarily breach the contract or unilaterally break the contract. Otherwise, unequal behavior will harm the interests of the other party. 2. The principle of mutual benefit In international business negotiations, equality is the prerequisite for mutual benefit, and mutual benefit is the purpose of equality. Equality and mutual benefit are two aspects that are closely connected and organically unified with the principle of equality and mutual benefit. In wars, ball games, and chess games, the outcome is usually a win and a loss. International business negotiations cannot end with victory or defeat, and must take into account the interests of all parties. To do this, the following points should be done. (1) Give what you need.

Lincoln once said with emotion: "The way I start and win a negotiation is to first find a point of agreement that most people agree with." The premise of negotiation is "difference", and a good start for negotiation is "sameness." The driving force of negotiation and the destination of negotiation lie in "sameness". Secondly, try to find the “similarities” between all parties. International business negotiation is a process of exchanging interests, and this exchange is only clearly reflected in the agreement at the end of the negotiation. At the beginning of the negotiation, the interest requirements of all parties are not yet clear or unclear. As the negotiation progresses, astute negotiators can actively look for compatibility points or common points of their respective interests from the collision of various opinions, and then Based on this, we can further explore the juncture of each other's basic interests. Even if the interests of the parties involved in the negotiation have many differences, they can always find some similarities or similarities. Otherwise, there will be no basis and possibility for negotiation at the beginning. In order to guide the other party to reveal its interest requirements, one should proactively and strategically explain one's own interests during negotiations. As long as you don't appear to be dismissive or dismissive of the other person's interests, you can state the importance of your own interests firmly. Adhering to the principle of mutual benefit inherently involves adhering to one's own interests, but this self-adherence must be based on the recognition and accommodation of the other party's interests. Ignoring and excluding the interests of the other party and hiding and weakening one's own interests are not conducive to seeking common ground between each other, and will hinder the normal realization of negotiation goals. When explaining your own interests, you should strive to be concrete, vivid, and emotional to increase your appeal and arouse the other party's concern. In the process of coordinating different demands and opinions, one should exchange the other party's minimum loss for one's maximum gain, not the other way around. Third, limit disagreements and differences within the scope of harmony. Seeking common ground also means reserving minor differences, which reflects the mutual benefit of all negotiating parties. Absolutely no difference is unrealistic, but the differences are too great to be mutually beneficial. As far as business negotiations are concerned, "small differences" are not just a quantitative concept, but more importantly have a qualitative meaning. The qualitative requirement has two aspects. One is that the parties to the negotiation have no differences in interests. The other is that if there is a difference in interests, it should be a difference in non-basic interests. This is an inherent requirement of mutual benefit and is the principle limit for retaining differences in a negotiation agreement. The different interests and needs of the negotiating parties can be divided into compatibility and exclusion. If it is exclusive, it is allowed to exist in the negotiation agreement as long as it does not conflict with the above principles and requirements; if it is compatible, each can get what they need, complement each other, and satisfy each other. (3) Compromise. In international business negotiations, mutual benefit is not only reflected in "mutual gain" but also in "mutual give-and-take". The complete meaning of mutual benefit should include the two aspects of "doing something" and "doing nothing" to promote the simultaneous realization of the interests and goals of all parties in the negotiation. We must not only uphold and safeguard one's own interests, but also consider and satisfy the interests of the other party, take into account the interests of both parties, and seek common interests. This is called "doing something"; for non-basic interest differences that are difficult to coordinate, we must not compromise and refuse to compromise. To make necessary concessions in order to achieve a situation that is conducive to reaching a negotiated agreement, this is "doing nothing". Gaining profits and giving up profits in negotiations are dialectically unified. Compromise can avoid conflicts, and concessions can prevent deadlocks. The essence of compromise is to make retreat in order to promote the smooth progress of negotiations and reach an agreement.

The Importance of International Business Negotiation

International business negotiation is an indispensable and important link in the process of international sales of goods, and it is also a necessary stage for signing a sales contract. The content of international business negotiation includes not only business and technical issues, but also legal and policy issues. It is a highly policy-based, strategic, technical and professional work. The result of international business negotiation determines the specific content of the contract terms, thereby determining the rights and obligations of both parties to the contract. Therefore, both buyers and sellers attach great importance to this important activity of business negotiation. In the international sale of goods, business negotiation is a very complex task, which is much more complicated than negotiating transactions in domestic trade. Because the two parties to the transaction belong to different countries or regions and have different social systems, political systems, legal systems, economic systems and trade habits, as well as different cultural backgrounds, values, beliefs and national habits, as well as languages ??and Difficulties with written communication.

During the negotiation process, due to the different positions of the two parties and the specific goals they pursue, it is often full of sharp and complex conflicts of interest and repeated bargaining. The task of business negotiators is to use various effective strategies based on purchase and sale intentions and the specific circumstances of the counterparty to correctly handle and resolve conflicts and contradictions, seek consensus, and reach an agreement acceptable to both parties. Fair and reasonable agreement. Since the agreement reached by both parties to the transaction is not only directly related to the interests and gains of both parties, but also legally binding and cannot be easily changed, both parties should be cautious about whether to finalize the transaction or reach an agreement. If negotiations fail due to mistakes, the opportunity to close a deal will be lost. If due to our staff's eagerness for success, negligence or other reasons, we make undue concessions, or accept unreasonable closing conditions and terms that are contrary to legal provisions, resulting in some errors and hidden dangers in the transaction negotiations, It is often difficult to remedy the situation afterwards. This will not only cause us to suffer undue economic losses, but may also cause difficulties in fulfilling the contract, which will in turn affect the relationship between the two parties and cause adverse political effects to the outside world. To sum up, it shows that business negotiation is a very important link. It is of great significance to do a good job in this link, properly handle various issues that arise in business negotiations, and reach a fair, reasonable and practical agreement on the basis of equality and mutual benefit. important meaning.