Classic Communication Gap: China vs. the West

I cannot tell you how many times I have observed the following conversation between Chinese-speaking and English-speaking businesspeople:
English Speaker: “I need you to lower your price/produce a machine I need/accept a higher price/grant a concession.”
Chinese Speaker: “Hmmm. That will be difficult.”
English Speaker: “Difficult? Well, good then. That means you can do it. If business [...]