I enjoyed learning more about conciliation, or more commonly known as in the United States, mediation. I think it is interesting that most commercial disputes are actually resolved through mediation, rather than an actual lawsuit in a court, or litigation. My father is a lawyer who practices commercial law, and he says that it is “extremely rare” that one of his cases actually makes it to court. Personally, when I think of a lawsuit, I almost always picture it occurring in a courtroom! Therefore, I think it is pretty interesting that most disputes can be resolved with a mediator in a private setting. However, I was very surprised that this is even true for international disputes! For example, the text states that Chinese businesses appreciate conciliation because it is less formal and more friendly than arbitration or litigation. Some Chinese companies may completely avoid doing business with companies who first resort to arbitration!