Both “government affairs” and “public relations” were developed in Western contexts and came to China along with the flood of foreign investment that began in the early 1990s. PR was originally conceived as a marketing tool—that is, the extension of media relations for marketing to a consumer base. Government relations, on the other hand, has generally aimed at strategic influencing of legislation or “lobbying.”

In a Western context, PR and government affairs can quite naturally exist in separate spheres. One characteristic unique to China, however, is the level of direct government links to industry and media. Therefore, in China, it is not only natural, it is oftentimes necessary that a corporate strategy of PR is complemented by a strategy of government affairs. We have dubbed this complementary approach “convergence” because under this rubric PR and government affairs “converge” to more comprehensively reach all key stakeholders. For example, PR and government affairs merge in “corporate social responsibility” initiatives. In order to strengthen corporate image, we have helped our clients strategically employ social improvement projects that dovetail with government reform priorities.

Most other government affairs firms in China focus on a unidirectional, “top-down” approach. They seek to utilize their relationships with government officials to effect legislative change. While our approach certainly calls upon an extensive network of relationships in various government ministries, convergence also emphasizes a “bottom up” dynamic. We will forge connections with industry associations with common interests with our client. These semi-government industry organizations (e.g. the China Light Industry Council, the China Cotton Association etc.) can play an invaluable role in educating policymakers and garnering support among grassroots Chinese companies. The work of these organizations, which we call “third party lobbyists,” should be supplemented with PR media coverage.

Convergence capitalizes upon the dialogue among consumers, media, Chinese companies, industry associations, and the government so unique to the contemporary Chinese market. Yuan Associates was founded with this approach in mind, and the Yuan Associates team has been selected and trained based upon the needs of PR and government affairs convergence. Therefore, it is not surprising that this visionary approach has brought us and our clients much success.