The Asian Mind Game

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This book by East-West marketing consultant Chin-ning Chu is essential for Westerners in business, government, or academia engaging with the Orient. It unveils the profound secrets of the Asian psyche that shape behavior in various domains. Ms. Chu emphasizes that the Asian perspective of the marketplace resembles a battlefield, a mindset often overlooked by Americans. She distills negotiation principles from ancient Chinese texts that have influenced Asia for centuries, illustrating their relevance in contemporary scenarios. While Westerners often rely on intuition for strategic maneuvering in business and politics, in Asia, strategic thinking is a formal discipline embraced by many. Remarkably, modern Asians draw from ancient teachings, with children in China familiar with the "36 Strategies" of Sun Tzu, a renowned military strategist from the fourth century B.C. Today, both business and political leaders across Asia study Sun Tzu's Art of War, contrasting sharply with Western management literature. Ms. Chu notes that the Chinese term for Americans translates to "innocent children," reflecting this cultural divide. She expertly analyzes how Chinese thought has influenced Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, and vice versa. As U.S. trade and political focus shifts to the Pacific, understanding the Asian mindset becomes increasingly critical. With her background, Ms. Chu articulates the Asian psyche's complexities in a way that resonates