Research on Chinese management suggests that networks, relationships and guanxi are essential elements of business success in China. However, relationships and connections are valued by managers everywhere, and they have been important to the entrepreneurial and commercial success of the overseas Chinese (Kraar, 1994; Chen, 1995; Suryadinata, 1995). The difference is that guanxi, China's special version of relationship building, extends far beyond business relationships (Ruan, 1993; Kipnis, 1997). Guanxi facilitates trust and imposes implicit standards of business behaviour (Hamilton, 1996; Farli, Earley and Lin, 1997; Kipnis, 1997; Tsui and Farh, 1997), which facilitates business and network operations (Zhao and Aram, 1995; Kiting, 1996; Kuo, 1996; G. Wong, 1996). At the national level, guanxi relationships have also been linked to economic growth and business success (Kao, 1993; G. Wong …