General aspects of economic diplomacy in Asian countries. Russian economic diplomacy
7.1. National features of diplomacy of Arab countries
7.2. Indian diplomacy
7.3. Japanese diplomacy
7.4. Chinese diplomacy
7.1. National features of diplomacy of Arab countries
There are more than 20 Arab states in the world, located in Asia and Africa. All of them are united by Arabic and literary a as a, but the dialects differ significantly from each other. Therefore, when choosing a translator, you need to be sure whether he knows a particular dialect well.
Despite the attempt by Arab countries to achieve unity, serious contradictions exist between them. Almost every diplomatic corps has groups of Arab countries.
First of all, despite a common language, a common ancient culture, these countries are so different from each other that in the presence of representatives of another country they may refrain from discussing issues related to the problems of the Middle East, from disputes. To think that they are all like-minded people is a big mistake.
All this indicates that in each joint venture, control over acts should be established and negotiations should be prepared carefully, taking into account the characteristics of each individual country and its policies.
Arab diplomats from different countries are very different. Some are extremely silent. Others - representatives of, say, Syria, some Egyptian diplomats - are much more willing.
The need for careful preparation of conversations with Arab politicians and diplomats is dictated by the high professionalism of Arab diplomats. Firstly, they must all have a certificate of completion of higher educational institutions. Secondly. They know foreign languages well, primarily English and French. Thirdly, the Diplomatic Service of the Arab countries itself is well organized, and diplomats are quite disciplined.
Arab diplomats are good debaters and speakers, and this must be taken into account during negotiations and receptions. Arab diplomats know how to establish contacts and are famous for their hospitality. Arabic diploma Omata and a little and actors. When they don’t want to go to the government department, they smile, assure that they don’t know about this issue, stall for time, or speak in general, streamlined phrases. Arab ambassadors usually follow instructions strictly. Without instructions, they prefer not to engage in discussion of the issue.
Mistrust and extreme caution are characteristic of a number of Arab diplomats and politicians. Sometimes Arab diplomats use such phrases, you don’t immediately understand what they mean, and other Arab diplomats have difficulty understanding them.
For Arabs, one of the important conditions for contacts, connections, and negotiations is the establishment of trust. They try not so much to predict the solution to a problem by analyzing events, but to extract a solution from the experience of the past.
In Arab states, they adhere to their own standards of etiquette, protocol, and simply customs, usually associated with lifestyle, religion, and ideology. In some countries they are closer to middle-aged people, in others - to the modern civilized world. You need to know them when establishing contacts, during conversations, negotiations, especially if you are traveling to a slave country. First of all, this is the attitude towards the Koran, towards the Muslim religion. One should not allow any criticism of the Koran and, of course, one must show respect for it. What is taken into account is the attitude towards women that is customary in this country: under no circumstances should you shake hands with a woman, otherwise complications may arise. Under no circumstances should you offer your left hand to a man as a greeting. The hollow of the fingertips denotes high praise. To ask for silence in Saudi Arabia, you need to blow on your fingertips.
During negotiations, Arabs often ask questions regarding the health of their partner and the health of their family. You should answer them briefly, but do not ask such questions.
In Iraq, women occupy leadership positions most often in government organizations.
In Iran, Pakistan, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Sudan, women do not play any role in diplomacy. In Iran, women are not shaken hands or looked into the eyes.
Paying tribute to tradition, Arabs are polite when you first meet them. A further meeting or conversation may be less friendly. Arabs do not give clear answers “yes or no”, but express themselves like: “As Allah wills.” Their behavior has strong Islamic traditions, which influence the course and nature of the negotiation process.
In Egypt, the leadership style is patriarchal. One person decides everything, despite the fact that many people are present at the negotiations. Egyptians are characterized by a sense of national pride and adherence to the historical traditions of their country. Another feature of the Egyptians is the acceptance of strong rule, the third is strict and fairly developed administrative rules of behavior. These characteristics of the Egyptians are reflected in their negotiations. They react painfully to issues related to national independence. They reject everything that is considered as interference in their internal affairs.
When meeting or making contact, it is not customary to ask about your wife or say hello to her, and vice versa, if you know that your partner has children, you need to ask about them, talk about your children. Arabs are polite people. Business cards are in English and Arabic. In Arab countries, a foreigner cannot ask questions or requests of a woman, as this is considered indecent. All business contacts take place only with men. Almost all Arab women do not occupy any position in business life.
It is not customary for Muslims and Arabs to drink wine, and if you invite them to dinner, lunch, or a cocktail, you should not force them to drink wine (although in a narrow company, when you know your partners well, you can offer both vodka and wine). You cannot serve pork at the table, but it is better to ask through an assistant what kind of food the guests prefer. In Iraq, for example, at large receptions they serve parts of a cow carcass and everything and tear them with their hands, so do not ask for a knife and fork.
In Arab countries, they prefer coffee without sugar, very strong, with a lot of cardamom. After drinking a cup of coffee, he thanked the owner, and the guest poured more coffee. And this will continue until the guest drinks coffee from one pot. To prevent this from happening, the guest needs to turn the cup upside down or shake it from side to side.
It is customary to take food at the table only with the right hand; the left is considered “unclean”. The dish will be removed from the table if the guest takes food from it with his left hand.
When refreshments are offered before coffee, it means the meeting is coming to an end.
With the right hand they exchange business cards, hand out money or a gift. The left hand is considered “unclean,” so without knowing it, the interlocutor can be insulted. Do not sit with your legs crossed so that the sole is visible. You should not send flowers to other people's wives and inquire about their health.
According to the rules of ethics and etiquette, Muslims interrupt all business contacts five times during the day to perform namaz (prayer).
Business negotiations or diplomatic receptions are not scheduled on national holidays.
In the field of international economic cooperation, Kazakhstan continues to follow the strategic course of deepening integration into the world market and forming an open national economy.
A landmark event was the participation of the Head of State in the work of the World Economic Forum (WEF) on the Middle East in Sharm al-Sheikh, as a result of which agreements were reached on the implementation of a number of multi-billion-dollar economic projects.
The Kazakh delegation also took part in the first WEF Europe - Central Asia summit, held recently (October 30 - November 1) in Istanbul. Next year, we will again attract the attention of the world business community to our country, which will host the WEF Eurasian Summit for the third time.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs continues to work to facilitate the process of Kazakhstan’s accession to the World Trade Organization. Negotiations with two of the so-called “Big Four” countries - Canada and Australia - have been completed, and positions on system-wide issues have converged with the United States and the EU. At this stage, the need to choose one of the scenarios for Kazakhstan’s accession to the WTO, taking into account the prospects for membership in regional integration associations, was clearly identified.
Cooperation with international financial and economic organizations and development institutions is ongoing, mutual visits have become systematic and specific, the volume of loans attracted has increased, and their compliance with the priority goals of the socio-economic and industrial-innovative development of the country has increased.
Systematic preparations are underway for the 18th session of the General Assembly of the World Tourism Organization in Astana next fall.
At the same time, we call on government agencies and national companies to make fuller use of the rich experience and potential of UN economic structures, including the Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) . An important step for the development of practical cooperation was the work that began this year to open a UNIDO regional center in Kazakhstan.
As one of the dynamically developing exporters of energy resources, our country has declared itself as an active participant in the efforts of the world community to ensure energy security. Next year, practical steps will be taken to implement the initiatives of the Head of State to develop, within the UN framework, a Global Energy and Environmental Strategy and the adoption of the Eurasian Pact for the Stability of Energy Supplies.
The growing role of Kazakhstan in international cooperation, including in providing development assistance, has necessitated the formation of a national mechanism for providing economic assistance to foreign countries. We have already begun relevant work aimed at increasing the efficiency and imparting consistency to Kazakhstan’s international activities in the field of development assistance.
In accordance with the instructions of the Head of State, overcoming the consequences of the global crisis for Kazakhstan is defined as the main agenda of the Government for 2009-2010. Therefore, taking into account the ongoing crisis phenomena in the global economic and financial system, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs will continue to assist in the implementation of national goals of industrial and innovative development, increasing the country’s competitiveness, modernizing the economy, promoting interests and protecting domestic capital abroad in changed conditions.
In an era of accelerating East Asian economies and slow Western economies, Japan is literally at a turning point in its political, diplomatic and economic development.
At the end of 2010, Japan became the third largest economy in the world after the United States and China. The unprecedentedly long recession of the Japanese economy, as well as the catastrophic consequences of the earthquake and tsunami in March 2011, which created the threat of radioactive contamination in the region, bring the economic component of national interest to the forefront of the country's foreign and domestic policy. Japan's economic diplomacy is becoming not just a factor in strengthening state power, designed to compensate for the missing military-power elements included in the complex characteristics of a modern state, but is acquiring additional political significance, being a response to both new external challenges and the increased demands of the Japanese population for the level and quality of life. This role is confirmed by Prime Minister Naoto Kan: “Needless to say, diplomacy is important in any era. However, the world has now entered an era that can rightly be called a historical watershed, a period in which diplomacy is becoming increasingly important for Japan and for the whole world.” Concretizing this idea, he believes that economic diplomacy is one of the five pillars of Japanese foreign policy and national security, along with such as the Japan-US alliance as the cornerstone of Japanese foreign policy, the new development of external relations with Asian countries, efforts to resolve global issues and the security environment around modern Japan.
Amid a surge in forecasts of the potential consequences of the Japanese disaster for Asian countries and other major economies of the world, more and more new questions are being raised as nuclear anxiety spreads. To what extent can the Japanese disaster hinder the development of the world economy? How long will the West and the rest of the world have to live with a strong yen? The answer to such questions can, to some extent, be provided by an analysis of Japan's economic development.
Japan may miss out on a vital new stage in its economic development if it fails to focus its efforts through concerted policy, economics and diplomacy to retain export markets affected by the global financial and economic crisis, as well as to make long-overdue changes to the country's established business practices. . That is why an assessment of the relationship between Japan's foreign economic guidelines and the general political and economic situation in East Asia allows us to say that Japan is the largest economic problem in the modern world. At the same time, foreign experts note the increased interest of the West in the economic policy of Japan as a fairly strong rival and partner in foreign economic relations, making good use of its strategic advantages, such as social insurance, the potential of export markets in different regions of the world, and national methods of refinancing public debt. “The economic situation in the US and Europe is increasingly being compared to the situation in Japan over the past 20 years. However, Japan, emphasizes economist Maxton Graham, has shown us an example of fairly successful adaptation to a stagnating economy. Its economy has experienced prolonged recession and deflation, but has not suffered major shocks from very high debt levels, although that may yet be the case. Neither the United States nor Europe have the adaptation mechanisms that Japan had. They don't have the same social safety nets that Japan has, they don't have the same export markets, they don't have the same ways to refinance debt. So I think both the US and most of Europe are going to have to go through some very difficult years." However, after the catastrophic consequences of the earthquake and tsunami, the situation in Japan changed. As American specialist Stephen S. Roach believes, “even in the worst case of a complete disruption of the Japanese economy, the direct consequences for the US economy will be calculated in no more than a few tens of fractions of a percent of their annual growth.”
Although Japanese diplomacy is relatively young (its history goes back about 100 years), it can pride itself on its professionalism. Diplomatic personnel are selected very carefully. Candidates undergo rigorous testing before joining the service. The principle of Japanese diplomats is to constantly update their knowledge. They are required to “study hard” every day, with full dedication, forgetting about personal time. “For those who hate the principle of “Maiho shugi” (my home, my family, and for you, family is first and foremost the Ministry of Foreign Affairs), our ministry is not a suitable place,” said the diplomat, head of the secretariat of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, addressing the young people. A diplomat must give himself completely to his work." Much attention is paid to the study of English as a world language, since it is believed that deep knowledge of the language is especially important for diplomats.
One interesting feature that distinguishes Japanese diplomatic personnel is the recognition of the positive role of the dynasty in diplomacy, which, according to the Japanese, contributes to the professionalism of diplomats and their devotion to the state. In Japan you can often find third and even fourth generation diplomats. Many of them have already taken high positions. There are cases when three brothers become ambassadors. Preference in hiring is given to children of diplomats or those who have been abroad for a long time. It is believed that these young people already have some experience and know the language well. Japanese diplomacy has created and maintained an atmosphere of high demands on employees. All successes and defeats of diplomats are recorded.
The strength of Japanese diplomacy is the careful handling of issues, professional preparation for conversations, contacts, and negotiations. At the same time, not all Japanese diplomats are able to navigate difficult situations.
When talking about the Japanese character and when encountering Japanese people, foreigners pay attention to the "mysterious smile" and their art of hiding their thoughts. Bob Dun Ham, in his book “The Art of Being Japanese,” as if answering the question of what kind of Japanese diplomats they are, writes: “In the West, people tell you the truth or they deceive you. The Japanese almost never deceive, but it will never come to them.” tell the truth in your head."
It is known that diplomats prefer not to say “yes” or “no” and do so very rarely. For a Japanese, saying the words “yes” and “no” is far from an easy task. They also carefully avoid the words “I can’t” and “I don’t know,” extending this feature to the sphere of business relations. The Japanese are not inclined to express their thoughts directly, and the meaning of phrases is deliberately obscured by clauses that contain uncertainty. From “generation to generation they were taught to speak in hints in order to avoid a clash of opinions, they were advised to avoid direct statements.”
In communication between Europeans and the Japanese, the greatest difficulties and misunderstandings arise due to the misinterpretation of the Japanese word "hai". This word is usually translated as "yes". While listening to an interlocutor, a Japanese can respond to almost every phrase with the word “hi”, accompanied by a nod, but this does not mean at all that he agrees with the interlocutor. The use of the word "let" usually only means "I'm listening to you, continue."
Traditional Japanese morality does not allow the answer "no". Instead of saying “no,” the Japanese give evasive answers, the most common of which is “it’s difficult.” Sometimes a long speech is made, composed of vague phrases, extremely polite turns of phrase, explanations, apologies, the essence of which boils down to the same expression “it’s difficult,” and which should be understood as a refusal. What the Japanese do not invent to avoid uttering this forbidden word!
In conversations, people in every possible way avoid the words “no”, “I can’t”, “I don’t know”, as if this is some kind of abuse, something that cannot be expressed directly, but only by hint. Even when refusing a second cup of tea, the guest, instead of “no, thank you,” adopts an expression that literally means: “I’m fine as is.”
To avoid the word “no,” the Japanese send invitations to guests by adding a postcard with a return address. It is worth emphasizing either the word “thank you” or the word “sorry” on it and again throw such a postcard in the mailbox.
In conversations and contacts with the Japanese, it is worth remembering one more thing about them, which, however, is characteristic of diplomats from other countries - they do not tolerate the slightest insult or rude word and they themselves refrain from such statements. their politeness makes them pleasant conversationalists. Naturally, they expect the same courtesy from you. Delicacy is valued by the Japanese. Perhaps even more than the British, the Japanese value silence. All these qualities must, of course, be kept in mind when you establish contacts with the Japanese.
When communicating with Japanese partners, never use a handshake. The Japanese avoid direct eye contact, which is inevitable when shaking hands. And according to tradition, the most important element of polite behavior is bias. When greeting, three types of bows are used - the lowest ("saikerei"), a medium bow at an angle of approximately 30 ° and a light bow - approximately 15 °. When greeting each other, the Japanese must bow more than once or twice: for a regular greeting they need fifteen bows, and in order to express special respect for a very respected person - ninety times in a row.
The Japanese, unlike the Italians, are characterized by accuracy, their style is commitment, punctuality in everything. They know how to listen to their partner, demonstrate attention, encouraging the interlocutor to speak out, which, however, should not be understood as agreement with your opinion.