The confusion often happens because English speakers tend to soften requests by using “Could you please … ”. The Chinese language lacks these constructions and Chinese or English speakers often replace it with “Come ...” or lai. This gives the impression of a brusque command rather than a request. We are all familiar with “can la” in Singlish which is a direct translation from Chinese.
Australia’s relations with China have been terrible over the past few years. On July 8, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong met with China Foreign Minister Wang Yi. When the Australian media reported the meeting, Wang Yi’s general comments were described as a list of “demands” or “requirements” which were reportedly rebuffed by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
This substantial misunderstanding of what was said by Wang and the subsequent rebuff by Albanese is a repeat of the same mistake that Western businessmen often make in China. It was a master class in misinterpretation, which, in this case, has long-term political impacts. In business, the same type of misinterpretation also carries a significant impact.
