Western firms, practice what you preach
Orange trees south of the Huaihe River bear big and sweet fruits. Cross over to the north, and you'll see trees with identical trunks, branches and leaves, but the fruits? Well, your eyes will tell you they are smaller, and your taste bud will react bitterly to their sourness. Why this difference? They're different because the soil on the two sides of the river is different.
This tale comes from Yan Ying, a Qi state politician during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 BC) more than 2,500 year ago, and may explain why multinationals' behavior is different in the West and China.
US label maker Avery Dennison admitted last week that it had bribed research institutions and authorities in China to win business contracts. But Avery is not the only foreign firm involved in a scandal in China. Heavyweights such as IBM, Wal-Mart and Lucent have grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons, too. The least said about Rio Tinto the better, four of whose employees were arrested on Tuesday on charges of stealing State secrets and bribery.
