英国《每日电讯报》25/07/20077 H3 O5 B6 d, b
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Why doing business with the dragon is a Chinese puzzle7 H) I1 d1 L& O! X) f
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5 f' u' p+ r5 YBarclays' chief executive, John Varley, is not the sort to bang back a few lagers at lunchtime. But who could blame him for sinking a Tsingtao beer with his chow mein and chips, after the deal he has just done with the Chinese? J8 p$ x3 z. v; U, T
/ f7 h6 ~3 i4 Y: I% e& S! OBy securing an investment of up to £6.6bn from the state-owned China Development Bank (CDB), Varley has boosted Barclays' chances in its battle with Royal Bank of Scotland to buy the Dutch bank, ABN Amro. 8 O0 E7 P1 H4 e' u. p" [8 K; W" T7 p! t7 N- F
Far more significant, however, is the long-term "guanxi" (relationship) that Barclays has established with the world's powerhouse of growth. " F& c4 `6 u% p) @2 A ! g/ ~- ] z" a* P7 H$ _3 h. e k6 Q* T, h5 P; E3 h' e! F D