Learning Chinese culture crucial for South Australia THE State Government is performing a full court press on China at the moment. Tourism Minister Leon Bignell was there last week, Premier Jay Weatherill is taking a 60-strong delegation there this week and Mineral Resources and Energy Minister Tom Koutsantonis is also heading over. This follows the release of the State Government's China strategy last year, and the recent inaugural meeting of the Government's China Council including members of the business community and public servants with a trade focus. The Government's moves are a laudable step in the right direction and, if the execution is correct, could help build a stronger and more profitable trade relationship with China. While we can debate the merit or otherwise of government efforts at state and federal level to develop the relationship with China, it eventually comes back to the efforts of businesspeople at the coal face to really build the relationship. To do this, businesses need to educate themselves about how to do business in China, and in Asia generally. It has become an oft-repeated mantra that doing business with China is a long game, which necessitates building trust with those you deal with. In order to do this it is necessary to understand the importance of basics which may not necessarily come into play when doing business in the West. Some of these include: WHAT is the importance of banqueting or dining together in Asian culture? IS there a culture of gift-giving and receiving which should be adhered to and what gifts are appropriate? DO you understand the concept of guanxi? If not, you better find out. Even basic things such as what is the appropriate firmness of a handshake are important, and could influence the success or otherwise of your attempts to do business. South Australia is already starting to benefit from a closer relationship with China, and sectors such as mining, agriculture and wine are doing particularly well, albeit sometimes off a low base. China is now the target for by far the largest number of wine export companies and top end wine exports continue to grow in the double digits. It must also be understood, though, that there are significant challenges to doing business in China. With practice, and a combination of government and private sector effort, we can overcome these and build a profitable relationship.