Reciprocation in Chinese customer-supplier relationships requires careful calibration—returns should be proportional and appropriate rather than identical or immediate. When a supplier provides exceptional service, they don’t expect identical service in return; they expect appropriate reciprocation in forms available to you: loyalty, reasonable treatment, relationship maintenance. Exact matching suggests transactional calculation; calibrated reciprocity demonstrates relationship understanding. Timing matters too: immediate return can seem like settling accounts rather than building relationship, but excessive delay signals neglect.
Learning to read what’s appropriate—what to give, when to give, in what manner—demonstrates relationship sophistication. If you reciprocate awkwardly, you reveal inexperience in Chinese relationship dynamics. Watch how your counterparts calibrate their reciprocity and learn to match that sophistication.
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