Intercultural communication in Russian-Chinese business negotiations: problems of mutual understanding and ways to overcome them

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the features of verbal interaction between representatives of Russian and Chinese business cultures in negotiation situations against the background of deepening strategic partnership and increasing interdependence of the economies. The aim of the study is to identify the underlying causes of communicative failures and misunderstandings, as well as to substantiate approaches that allow the transition from simple knowledge of etiquette to genuine intercultural competence. The methodological basis is built on an interdisciplinary synthesis of phenomenological sociology, comparative cultural studies, hermeneutics, and discourse analysis, which makes it possible to interpret the negotiation process as a clash of different worldviews and value systems. The materials include theoretical works on intercultural communication and cross-cultural management, classical texts of Russian and Chinese philosophical traditions, as well as published case studies, memoirs, and interviews with practitioners in diplomacy and business. The application of comparative conceptual analysis and discourse analysis made it possible to reconstruct differences in the understanding of key categories such as time, hierarchy, trust, conflict, and the goals of business interaction, and to demonstrate that they set divergent expectations regarding the structure, process, and outcome of negotiations. It has been established that the direct, low-context, legally oriented approach of one side comes into conflict with the high-context, indirect, and relational model of the other, where personal connections and the preservation of harmony play a decisive role. This mismatch generates stable patterns of misinterpretation, such as perceiving the avoidance of open conflict as insincerity or interpreting emphasis on a contract as distrust. As a result, the author concludes that it is necessary to move from normative behavioral instructions to a reflexive model of interaction based on awareness of one’s own cultural assumptions, interpreting the partner’s actions within the framework of their values, and creating a special communicative space where hybrid rules of cooperation are developed.