Yup, it's same thing. The main difference is that in the West we have made the corruption less conspicuous. In Asia, the whole economy operates essentially according to the "Guan Xi" (social capital) concept, built on relationships. It the same in ALL Asian countries, although the system likely originated in China and then moved outwards, as the Chinese have always been the main merchant class which has been (and still is) the foundation of the economy in the whole region. In the West we have turned bribery into "fluffy" fees, which are CERTAINLY NOT so "fluffy" when I have to pay $20 USD to withdraw $500 via cash advance from my US bank (out here in Asia). Your Chinese friend is probably right that it ends up costing MORE in the West in the end. I think the MAIN reason for this is that in the West you don't have the additional benefits which come from the social aspect of the whole process (as it exists in Asia)...