Writing for the Wichita Eagle, my old friend Alan is looking for someone to talk to about aviation.
The point is that connections matter everywhere -- maybe they matter more in China, but having four years of reporting experience in Washington, D.C., I think I understand the power of guanxi. And that's why I'm worried -- because I'm coldly aware that in China, I don't have any. Put yourself in the position of the Chinese for a minute. You're an aviation official. This American reporter wants to interview you, on-record, about topics that touch the core of a sensitive trans-Pacific relationship. You don't know this reporter, you've never heard of this reporter. You'll probably never talk to him again, and after he leaves, he could write something that could damage your career without giving it a second thought.
What would you say to the request? "I don't think I have time to schedule that interview." That's the position I'm in now.
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