There’s no magic formula for winning China clients, writes Sofia Lind, but pragmatism and a full Rolodex don’t hurt

“Relationships are key” is a common and unsurprising refrain when asking how to gain access to China’s much-coveted band of emerging corporate giants – both the privately-owned and the huge state-owned enterprises (SOEs). But from international lawyers’ point of view the question remains: how do you gain access to the right decision-makers in a country with a population of 1.34 billion?