Your international business consultant probably has already told you that the key to foreign market entry is to know the competition. And you sure have read quite a few Westerner-authored business books about China or India, wherever your place of interest is.

But do you know what's missing? Sun Tzu, an ancient Chinese strategist, said in The Art of War:"Know yourself, and know the enemy." Understanding your own strengths and shortcomings is the first and the foremost. You may be amused:"Of course I know myself!" Not necessarily. In this globalized economy, the definition is given in relative terms and specific contexts.

All I'm trying to say is that different perspectives can help us locate ourselves and our competitors in the global market.

So, in the Chinese-language China blog, I asked readers: 1) What do you think are U.S. plastics firms' advantages and disadvantages; 2) What are the things North American companies do that are admired by Chinese manufacturers? 3) Do you think Chinese firms can eventually dominate in all areas of plastics product manufacturing? And if so, how long will that process take?

Here are some bullet points I translated from readers' responses:

There is no longer a technological divide between Chinese and American manufacturers. Chinese companies can have the most advanced, state-of-art equipment and technologies. But overall, the American plastics industry is more developed, with more mature technologies and management and higher-quality workers. After all, they've been in the race longer than the Chinese have.

To be continued.