Guanxi.
At its most basic, guanxi describes a personal connection between two people in which one is able to prevail upon another to perform a favour or service, or be prevailed upon.
The two people need not be of equal social status. Guanxi can also be used to describe a network of contacts, which an individual can call upon when something needs to be done, and through which he or she can exert influence on behalf of another.
In addition, guanxi can describe a state of general understanding between two people: "he/she is aware of my wants/needs and will take them into account when deciding her/his course of future actions which concern or could concern me without any specific discussion or request". Source - Wikiedia 2010
Doing business in Asia isn't as intimidating as some people make out. If there's one thing we've learned from our experience, is the important of face-to-face communication. "Guanxi" can't be achieved without it. Period.