Maintaining an internet presence in mainland China is the most effective way to be visible on the Internet, provided your Chinese hosting provider has access to all three major networks: China Telecom, China Unicom (formerly China Netcom), and China Mobile. Your choice…

International DNS (Domain Name Server) records can take two to three attempts for a browser in China to locate your website. After the first attempt, the user believes there is a typing error or that the website does not work. China's internet…

In 2022, Chinese authorities permitted overseas companies to purchase domain names from Chinese domain suppliers, such as Access to China, with domain ownership. This gives you full access to the Chinese Names Service across China. Purchasing a domain in China also gives…

The rules governing ownership of Chinese TLDs (.cn, .cn.com, etc.) do not allow overseas companies or individuals to own them. This may be unclear, as many internet companies sell Chinese domains to overseas companies or individuals worldwide. To achieve this, they use…

The Chinese authorities exercise strict control over the content of the Internet, encompassing websites, social media, apps, and other online platforms within China. This pervasive control, often referred to by the overseas press and businesses as the Great Chinese Firewall, is a…

Geo DNS, or Geographical Domain Name System, is a DNS-based service that routes users to different servers or IP addresses based on their geographical location. Many services are available worldwide, but most perform poorly in China. CDN stands for Content Delivery Network.…

Chinese social media platforms ingeniously tackled the language barrier by using them. When scanned, these codes provide access to services through embedded, long, and complex URLs. Consequently, QR code scanning has become ubiquitous among over one billion Chinese internet users. In China,…

Chinese companies and consumers want to see overseas websites that resemble their local country's design and feel. They do not want to see a Chinese-looking site that raises questions about the product or service's genuine source. We recommend maintaining your local website's…

This unique circumstance stems from China's vast online population of approximately 854 million internet users, the largest in the world. The prevalence of advanced translation tools has enabled Chinese netizens to access and comprehend foreign content more efficiently. This approach not only…

While translation tools are imperfect and may not always capture the nuances of your intended messaging, they provide a starting point for visitors who wish to explore your website in their native language. This approach can help mitigate some of the challenges…

Multimedia has become more important than written or spoken media. For example, good multimedia is the difference between success and failure in the hospitality industry. The same can be said for most products and services. Social media will create multimedia for your…

Since approximately 2016, China has spearheaded the global landscape of social media and e-commerce development at an unprecedented pace. This rapid advancement has created a unique trend in China where social media and e-commerce have increasingly merged into a unified digital platform.…

Like the rest of the world, it is not the primary tool for communication. WeChat has replaced most emails since its launch in January 2011. While most emails are encrypted during transmission, they are typically not stored as encrypted files on servers,…

It has many of the same problems as email. We recommended opening a WeChat account for yourself or your business (a personal account is a more straightforward setup). Most Chinese enterprises and staff use WeChat as their primary communication tool. For example,…

Most Chinese S&E business office desk phones are no longer used. Large companies still use desk telephone systems. Mobile calls are increasingly made over social media, such as WeChat. A good internet connection and local Wi-Fi support are essential for this. The…

Mobile apps are popular, so many mobile operating systems have reached the limit on the number of APIS allowed. The WeChat platform, launched in January 2011, addressed this issue by enabling you to run APIs within it. Today, APIS in China are…

Keeping your business content up-to-date with your products, services and business information is obvious. Many companies are increasingly finding this challenging, given the number of platforms and channels that must be updated with company information and data. When considering a new market…

Unless specifically developed, most websites utilise third-party services that are unavailable in China. Many websites include articles and images from social media. However, most social media sites outside China are blocked, leading to missing website information. Platform and cloud services, such as…

Choose and protect a Chinese-friendly identity (brand, names, domains and social handles). Ensure your trademarks are available, and avoid meanings in Chinese that could damage your brand.

Why IP enforcement becomes practical once trademarks/copyright are registered in China, and how disputes are often resolved locally when you follow Chinese rules and regulations.

What “product licensing / certification” means in China, when it is required, and what to publish online to help authorities and retailers understand your compliance.

How Chinese platforms allow publishing and trading without your own ICP licence (because providers are approved). What to consider if you sell from inside China vs from overseas.

An overview of Chinese search engines and why their webmaster tools matter. How search engines operate under local rules and why usage patterns are changing.

A beginner’s guide to ranking in China: what must be in Chinese, how to plan metadata and content, and why local support is often needed to move beyond basics.

How the BAT ecosystem shapes online discovery and transactions in China, and why many Chinese companies rely on platforms and profiles more than standalone websites.

Why overseas sites are hard to access from China, how slow loads and partial failures stop discovery, and what to test before investing in promotion.

What makes Chinese e-commerce work at scale, how it changed local access to products, and why it drives down prices across broad categories.

A practical route for overseas SMEs to sell to Chinese consumers with lower cost and risk, focusing on wholesale supply via Chinese e-mall resellers.

How China’s platform-first approach differs from the West, and why e-malls (Alibaba, Taobao, JD.com, Tmall and others) dominate alongside business websites.

An overview of the main routes into China for B2B and B2C trading, including online, offline, and cross‑border options, and what to consider before investing heavily.

Reasons you may need a Chinese company (licensing, payments, local trade) and when you can trade from overseas. Practical points to consider before you register.

Key points on moving money between China and overseas: what’s allowed, common routes, and practical issues for goods and services payments.

How China’s payment ecosystem works, why local gateways matter, and the compliance requirement that payments processed in China must use approved systems.

How B2B trading typically works in China, including finding suppliers/partners, negotiating, and why internet visibility is critical for supplier discovery.

How B2C developed in China and what it takes to sell direct to consumers, including the role of local hosting and certification for e‑commerce inside China.

What ICP licensing/certification means, when it is required, and how it affects websites and e‑commerce operations hosted inside mainland China.

Practical notes on shipping into China for consumers, including clearance, tracking, and typical delivery expectations on Chinese e‑commerce platforms.

A set of practical points based on experience trading with/within China—what tends to work, common pitfalls, and where SMEs can reduce risk.