Dialogue 1

Mr. Wang: Good morning, Mr. Li.

Mr. Li: Good morning, Mr. Wang. Can you ship the order within two or three weeks?

Mr. Wang: No. We could only manage it in five weeks.

Mr. Li: Five weeks? We can’t wait that long.

Mr. Wang: That’s the best we can do just now, I am afraid.

Mr. Li: Can't you make it four weeks?

Mr. Wang: What about transshipment at Hong Kong? That would probably satisfy your demand.

Mr. Li: As a rule, we do not give exporters permission to transship goods. As you know, it raises the risk of pilferage and damage.

Mr. Wang: In that case, I am afraid we can do very little about it.

Mr. Li: Well, in order to ensure earlier shipment, we have to make this an exception and agree to transshipment.

Mr. Wang: So we might as well mark Transshipment at Hong Kong in the contract.

Mr. Li: OK!