What to Send Your Business Host Before Arriving in China

“I arrive on Tuesday and want to visit some factories” gives a business host a date, but very little basis for arranging a productive day. Which factories, which products and which decisions matter most?

A good arrival brief answers those questions without becoming a large document. It separates confirmed arrangements from requests, identifies the people involved and explains what useful support looks like for your trip.

Lead with the purpose of the visit

Begin with your company, your role and the product or project. Describe the outcome you want in plain terms: compare two suppliers, resolve a sample issue, discuss a new specification or prepare a quotation request.

State where you are in the buying process. A first exploratory visit needs different preparation from a meeting about a delayed production order. Mention any decision you must make before leaving and who has authority to make it.

Avoid assuming that “business support” includes sourcing, technical inspection, legal advice or commercial approval. List the specific help you want and agree the scope with the host.

Send the real itinerary, including its gaps

Provide arrival and departure details, hotel name and Chinese address, and the dates when support is required. Use local dates and times and include the actual station or airport terminal when confirmed.

For each supplier, include the company name, full Chinese address, named contact, mobile number and agreed appointment time. Say whether the location is an office, showroom or production site. Add the contact's WeChat details where appropriate and ask before making introductions that share personal information.

Mark tentative meetings plainly. “Requested for Wednesday, supplier has not confirmed” is much more useful than placing an uncertain appointment into a schedule that looks final.

Give the interpreter useful product context

Send current drawings, specifications, quotation references and photographs that will be discussed. Label each file with the model and revision, and explain the key issue in a few sentences. Highlight terminology your industry uses in a specific way.

If there is a dispute or disagreement, provide both sides' stated positions and the relevant documents. A neutral chronology helps the interpreter prepare accurate language. An angry summary of the supplier's motives does less to clarify the underlying problem.

Keep your internal price ceiling, negotiation options and private team instructions separate from documents intended for the supplier. Tell the host which materials may be shared and with whom.

An example of a useful host brief

The following is an illustrative outline to adapt to your trip.

Project: A12 storage product, first supplier evaluation visit.

Objective: understand the proposed production method and decide whether to commission a revised sample. We will not place a production order during the visit.

Support requested: English–Mandarin interpreting for the meeting and production tour; help checking the practical route between confirmed locations.

Schedule: arrival Monday evening; supplier meeting Tuesday morning, time confirmed; second visit Wednesday, awaiting confirmation. Hotel and transport details attached.

Attendees: purchasing lead and product designer. The designer approves technical changes; the purchasing lead approves commercial next steps.

Attachments: drawing revision 3, supplier quotation Q17, photographs of sample S02 and a one-page question list.

Private briefing: please discuss our negotiation options with us before the meeting. Do not circulate the private notes.

This brief gives the host a purpose, a manageable scope and the information needed to identify the missing pieces.

Share personal details only when needed

Names, arrival details and a contact number may be enough for initial planning. If a specific booking requires identification information, establish why it is needed, who will receive it and the appropriate way to provide it. Avoid placing passport images in a general supplier chat.

Tell the host about access needs, dietary restrictions or other practical requirements that affect the arrangements. Share only the health detail necessary to make the relevant accommodation; there is rarely a reason to include a medical history.

Never include app passwords, bank sign-in details or one-time verification codes. Travel coordination should not require another person to control those accounts.

Confirm responsibilities before departure

Ask the host to confirm the working hours, meeting point, travel arrangements and any items still awaiting a response. Agree how changes will be communicated. Check the written quotation against the itinerary, especially for out-of-town travel, evening work and additional services.

Send one updated brief when the plan changes, showing the revision date. Avoid leaving the host to combine different versions from email, chat and forwarded screenshots.

To prepare a TalkEast booking, send your dates, locations, product and meeting objectives. Those four details provide a useful starting point for defining the support you need.