A GM told me in Shanghai recently that one of his local Chinese suppliers cancelled production of an order my friend had queued weeks before. The supplier explained the factory had chosen instead to fulfill and order from an American company that had ordered the maker’s full kit, not just some components. The Americans were going to pay a lot more, too, and the order was going to put pressure on the the factory’s capacity. Of course, my friend was not pleased by the change, especially as his order was to begin production at the beginning of November.

Chinese vendors are notorious for dropping customer obligations when another, apparently more generous customer appears at their doorsteps with purse open. One American GM told me how a hotel in Kunshan had cancelled his banquet to take on a larger project, but did not tell the GM until he and his cortage showed up at the restaurant to eat. And then there was a young Chinese woman’s wedding banquet that got bumped here in Suzhou when a much larger party paying much more per head pushed her off the social calendar. If Chinese brides aren’t even safe, what can Western GMs expect?