彭博社：安利利用哈佛大学成就与中国的关系(13)

　　官方的反对

　　该报告称，当参加者意识到他们已经被骗，参加者发生了骚乱，类似事件的社会动乱会触发官方的强烈反应。

　　中国于1998年4月禁止了直销。黄德荫说，“时机是很幸运的，因为中国已经开始进入世贸组织的谈判，中国也不想被视为要关闭美国公司。”安利和其他直销商游说美国政界人士和决策者提高了世贸组织谈判的门槛。

　　那一年的晚些时候，中国同意让安利和其他几家国际公司继续经营，同时修改公司政策，包括开办店铺。安利公司，以前从来没有在任何一个国家开办店铺，现在在中国已开办近 300家店铺。它也开始在中国生产产品并制作广告。

　　Official Backlash

　　Participants rioted when they realized they’d been scammed. Similar incidents of social unrest triggered an official backlash, according to the report.

　　China banned direct selling in April 1998. The timing was lucky, Wong says, because China had begun negotiations to enter the World Trade Organization and didn’t want to be perceived as shutting down U.S. companies. Amway and other direct sellers lobbied U.S. politicians and policy makers to raise the ban in the WTO talks, Wong says.

　　Later that year, China agreed to let Amway and several other international companies continue operating, with modifications, including opening stores. Amway, which had never before had retail outlets in any country, now has close to 300 in China. It also began manufacturing in China and advertising there.