Access to China Articles
Being seen on the internet in China, articles
In many ways, Chinese trading is no different from that of any other country or region. Chinese businesses and consumers will always look for your business's internet presence.
Your business's internet presence can be found in various mediums, including your website, business platforms like LinkedIn, and social media sites like Facebook and YouTube.
The problem in China is that many third-party platforms are not visible to the public.
All overseas social media is blocked. This also includes LinkedIn as of 2023.
Most business websites are not blocked in China. The few that are blocked usually share an IP address with a blocklist of website content.
The issue is that over 80% of business websites that attempt to be seen cannot be opened, respond slowly (taking over 30 seconds), or have missing content (typically on social media).
This collection of articles helps you understand the issues of Being Seen in the world's largest online market.
Summary of ‘Being Seen in China’ articles
There are several reasons why a website page may not be visible in China. The most common reasons are straightforward to correct.
- Website IP address blocked
- Chinese Name services
- Load blocked service files from your local host server
- Social media files
- CDN services have poor performance in China
We recommend using our free web page testing tools to understand your business website's response times in China and identify any parts of your web page that are not visible to users.
An internet presence in mainland China is the best way to be visible on the Internet in China, provided your Chinese hosting provider has access to all three major networks.
- China Telecom
- China Unicom (merged with China Netcom)
- China Mobile
Your choice of internet provider for hosting and connection has a significant impact on the performance of your online content, including websites, social media, and apps. Therefore, selecting the right provider, both inside and outside China, is a critical decision that can significantly impact one's visibility in China.
3. Chinese name servers (DNS records hosted in China)
International DNS (Domain Name Server) records can take two to three attempts for a browser in China to locate your website.
We strongly recommend purchasing a domain from us or another local Chinese domain supplier to increase your website's visibility in China.
4. Domain names for the Chinese market
What domain is appropriate for the Chinese market?
In 2022, Chinese authorities will only allow Chinese companies to own Chinese TLDs. This did not affect Chinese domain ownership at this stage, given that Chinese business agents only own the Chinese TLDs. The problem today is that if you use the Chinese TLD for overseas business, the Chinese authorities can close the domain name.
There are many options available for domain names for the Chinese market.
5. Chinese top-level domains (TLDs)
TLD (top-level domain) is the part of the domain name that comes after the "DOT," e.g., .com, .net, etc.
What TLDs are appropriate for the Chinese market?
The Chinese authorities exercise strict control over the content of the Internet, encompassing websites, social media, apps, and more within China. This pervasive control, often referred to by the overseas press and businesses as the Great Chinese Firewall, is a significant aspect of the Chinese internet landscape.
Although most business content is not directly affected, a website's content can have a significant impact on its overall performance.
Understanding how the Chinese internet firewall works will help you be seen in China.
7. Based on geographical location.
CDN stands for Content Delivery Network. It is a network of servers distributed worldwide that efficiently delivers content to users, such as websites, videos, and other digital assets. CDNs reduce latency, improve load times, and enhance overall user experience by caching content closer to the end-users.
8. The use of QR codes in China
Chinese social media platforms ingeniously tackled the language barrier by employing QR codes. When scanned, these codes provide access to services through embedded, long, and complex passwords. Consequently, QR code scanning has become ubiquitous among Chinese social media users.
Today, QR codes are ubiquitous in China. They have replaced domain names in marketing and sales, and businesses and people have replaced the writing of their internet links with QR codes.
9. Website looks and feels for the Chinese market
Chinese companies and consumers want to see overseas websites that look and feel like their local country. They do not want to see a Chinese-looking site that raises questions about the genuine source of a product or service.
We recommend keeping your website's look and feel unchanged for the Chinese market, as it features a responsive design that displays clearly on mobiles and tablets.
10. Translation of your business website
When entering an overseas market, it is assumed that your website must be translated. This has never been the case for the Chinese market.
Chinese people have always used translation software as required.
The SEO data requires translation, including titles, web page descriptions, and headings. By only translating the minimum data needed for the Chinese search engines in terms of costs and the overhead of maintaining your website in multiple languages,
While automatic translations are improving, they are still not correct. Translation errors often result from written English, local terms, or the lack of business international English.
A consumer will not know the source of the language on your website, and errors in the language will reflect poorly on it. For many years, the Chinese have used local software for translation as required. In doing so, they know it is an automatic translation and does not reflect poorly on your website.
We recommend using automatic translation to review written English. Begin by using an automatic translation tool into any second language that you or a member of staff/family can read. When you find an error, go back to the English version and make the necessary changes.
Multimedia has become more important than the written or spoken word.
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 content for your products and services, both positive and negative. We recommend that you take control from the beginning and publish your multimedia at the end.
13. Chinese social media and e-Commerce (Article to follow ASAP)
Since around 2016, China has been rapidly developing social media and e-commerce platforms, leading to the integration of these platforms into a single entity, exemplified by WeChat and TikTok.
Most/international social media and e-commerce platforms are blocked in China. If you wish to engage with and sell to the Chinese consumer market, you must be part of one or more relevant platforms.
Access to these platforms is restricted for individuals and businesses outside of the country.
Emailing in China, like in the rest of the world, is not the primary tool for communication. WeChat has largely replaced email since its launch in January 2011.
While most emails are encrypted end-to-end during transmission, they are usually not stored as encrypted files on servers, your mobile device or PC. This leaves email vulnerable to hacking and available to government agents worldwide.
Our recommendations will enable your business to access your email in China while maintaining a higher level of security.
Messaging has many of the same problems as emailing in China.
We recommend opening a WeChat account for yourself or your business (creating a personal WeChat account is a more straightforward setup). Most Chinese enterprises and staff use WeChat as their primary communication tool.
For example, when emailing in China, please remember to respect Chinese rules and regulations on messaging content.
16. APIs in China (Article to follow ASAP)
Mobile APIs were popular in China, and as a result, many mobile operating systems reached their limit on the number of APIs they could support. The WeChat platform, launched in January 2011, addressed this issue by allowing you to run APIs within the WeChat platform.
Today, APIs in China are often written as WeChat programs. By doing so, your API becomes part of WeChat's social media.
Today, APIs are used widely in China.
17. Up-to-date internet content
What platform and channels will you use for public business information in the Chinese market: at a minimum, set up a WeChat account?
Determine responsibility for maintaining this information.
Please ensure the Chinese plans allow sufficient time to update any necessary information for the Chinese market.
Could you update your website's recommendations to increase visibility in China?
While recommendations have been written to improve website performance in China, many of these recommendations also apply to enhancing website performance globally.
Please start by checking if your website is visible in China.
Last modified: v2.9 - September 2025
Being found on the internet in China
Many tools and services on the Chinese internet can help Chinese businesses and people find websites.
The structure of the Chinese internet shares the same components as the rest of the world, including search engines, social media, and others. Like the rest of the world, you can invest time and resources in promoting your business on the Chinese internet.
This information is the minimum needed to start getting your business found on the Chinese internet.
Summary of ‘Being Found in Seen in China’ articles
While your Chinese online identity offers can give you a significant advantage on their own, effective management greatly helps them succeed.
Your trademark(s), brand in this case, are available in China. i.e., A Chinese / international business has not already registered your trademark in China
Your trademarks, i.e., brand names, product names, etc., are recognised in the international / Chinese markets.
Appropriate domains, social media, etc., and names are available.
Your brand/product name does not have an appropriate meaning/translation in spoken or written Chinese. For example, Google had this problem in China. The English pronunciation of Google in Chinese means “rice framer”.
2. Chinese Intellectual Property Rights
Politicians, the press, and businesses worldwide have spoken and written extensively about the problems with intellectual property rights in China.
China faces numerous issues related to international intellectual property rights and their enforcement.
If your trademark/copyright is agreed upon and registered in China, a dispute over a trademark can often be resolved with a letter from a local Chinese solicitor. No business or Chinese person wishes to be seen breaking Chinese rules and regulations.
If you do not register your trademark in China, you could spend years in the Chinese legal system trying to block the use of your trademark. If you have registered your trademark and there is an infringement, it is usually resolved after a letter from a Chinese-based solicitor.
We strongly recommend that you protect your trademark in China by following the local Chinese rules and regulations.
Outside China, we refer to this as “Product Certification,” which is enforced by the “Trading Standard” office. In English translations, this is referred to as “Product Licensing.”
A Chinese product license is typically not required for products sold directly to consumers from overseas, as these are considered “one-off” sales. An exception to this rule is electrical goods. The certification standard for electrical goods is CCC. Most international electrical goods already have this certification.
Like any country's Customs, China will inspect and seize goods that do not meet local standards. However, this does not often happen to goods sold directly to consumers from an overseas company.
The central point to consider is whether the product is sold directly by a Chinese business, e.g., a wholesaler, retailer, or Chinese online store. Local Product Licensing must be in place.
Many products in China do not require product licensing. To help the Chinese authorities and local retailers understand your products, make your testing certification, e.g., EU certification, available online.
4. Chinese Internet publishing options
In mainland China, e-commerce and IT platforms are very popular. The service providers have obtained approval from the Chinese government to publish on the Chinese Internet. Therefore, you do not need an Internet Content Provider (ICP) license to use the providers' services.
The Chinese platform suppliers ensure customers follow Chinese publication and trading rules and regulations.
If you are selling from within mainland China, you will need a Chinese business to process payments, tax returns, and other related matters. Most SDPs have an international service that enables you to sell to mainland China without having a local Chinese company.
Historically, led by Baidu, the Chinese search engines have successfully dominated the internet in China.
Changes are happening in the use of search engines in China and worldwide.
Starting in China, Baidu, while still the most used search engine in China, has experienced a significant drop in market share over the last three years.
Bing applies the Chinese rules and regulations, e.g., some content is not listed, allowing search engines to be available in China.
6. Chinese search engine SEO, local and international
This article is a beginner’s guide to Chinese search engine optimisation (SEO). You may require local Chinese support as you learn more and want to increase your internet content rankings.
There are four Chinese Search Engines and two overseas search engines, and you should aim to get a high ranking in the Chinese market.
7. Baidu, Alibaba and Tencent (BAT)
Generally, the internet business profiles of giant BAT companies operate similarly to those of Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and others.
The BAT companies are estimated to directly or indirectly control over 70% of the internet business and transactions in China.
There is a significant difference between how businesses approach the Chinese Internet and the rest of the world. Most Chinese companies are part of an existing B2B or social media platform and do not have a business website.
Only 25% of foreign internet sites can be accessed in China, 20% take over 20 seconds to load, and 55% cannot be viewed at all.
There is a high probability that your website may not be visible in China.
For Chinese businesses, there is no simple way to find overseas products and services.
Like most businesses worldwide, Chinese companies start their search for products and services on the Internet.
Chinese e-commerce has experienced significant success over the past decade.
Most Chinese people make e-commerce purchases daily, and China's physical size has driven this growth. Before e-commerce, many towns and cities in China had limited product and service supplies based on their region's availability. Now, Chinese consumers have access to products and services supplied nationally and internationally.
The e-commerce market has driven down consumer prices across a wide range of products and services.
10. e-Commerce from outside China
There are great success stories of overseas companies selling directly to the end consumer.
We offer the following approach for SMEs entering the Chinese consumer market.
Our recommendation is based on a business that wishes to enter the Chinese consumer market without high costs/risk. The offset to this is that your margins will be lower, but they could match the margins you achieve in your local market. The opportunity is increased turnover in the world’s largest market at low risk.
This approach is for overseas companies that own the products and can supply the Chinese e-mall reseller at wholesale prices.
11. Chinese e-Commerce third-party vs website
There is a notable difference in how the Chinese approach internet services.
Outside China, internet services have grown through businesses publishing their websites. Today, working alongside business websites, there is a growing use of e-mall department store websites, such as Amazon and eBay.
Within China, the use of e-malls, department stores, started with Alibaba (B2B marketing) and then expanded to include China Amazon, Taobao, JD.com (formerly 360buy), Tmall, etc. (B2C).
Last modified: v2.3 - October 2025
Trade inside China on the Internet
I have access to China and its staff, having traded in China for over 20 years and run local and international businesses.
The topics below do not cover all aspects of trading on the Chinese internet. They are subjects on which Access to China has practical experience.
Our recommendation: There are numerous options available for trading within China. Please make your goals clear before making the significant investment needed, e.g.
Running a business inside China vs remaining as a foreign business
Summary of ‘Starting trading in China’ articles
1. Routes to the Chinese markets
There are various trading methods for Chinese businesses (B2B) and Chinese consumers (B2C) within China and in your local market, whether online or with visitors from China.
Before you start, could you look at your business and product/service branding in China? If your business branding is not registered in China, we recommend you correct this as soon as possible. Another Chinese or overseas company can undermine all your Chinese marketing by registering your business brand(s) in China and reproducing your products /services locally.
Before establishing a Chinese company in mainland China, please make sure you thoroughly understand the requirements for doing so.
Examples of why you might need a Chinese business:
- Production costs are cheaper in China
- Chinese government grants available
- Local Chinese investment available
- Local Chinese overseas branded services – e.g., coffee shop chain
- You wish to sell directly to businesses/consumers from within China
- Chinese government licensing is only available if you have a Chinese company, e.g., ICP certification
You do not need a Chinese business if you are selling into China from a company or e-commerce site outside mainland China, such as Hong Kong, the USA, or the UK.
3. Transfer money to and from China
Points covered;
Can Chinese citizens take / transfer money overseas?
Purchasing goods from China
Buying goods from overseas countries
Purchase of services from China
Purchasing services from overseas
Transferring monies
All countries have rules and regulations governing the use of payment methods and their application. To that end, China has its own rules and regulations and will not allow a Chinese business to operate payment processes on non-Chinese approved systems. This applies to all Internet transactions processed on servers/clouds/data centres in China. All payments made in China must be to a Chinese bank account.
An overseas business needs access to some parts of these payment gateways to trade widely and successfully with Chinese people and businesses. “If you cannot take a payment, you cannot process an order.”
China has a highly successful payment processing system and a gateway for day-to-day trading.
Face-to-face trading has been the traditional method of conducting business in China for the past 50 years. Today, the internet is essential in identifying potential suppliers. The key issue is that few foreign websites are accessible in China.
The standard process is to price the export to China as FOB (Freight on Board).
The shipping costs and management of imported goods in China are the responsibility of the Chinese business. This will include the shipping costs, import duties, shipping insurance, local Chinese transport costs, etc., and local certification (if required)
The Internet has allowed the development of the Business-to-consumer market in China.
Selling online on a Chinese-hosted website requires certification, which is only available to Chinese businesses.
Any product sold on a Chinese internet site is subject to the laws and regulations of China.
Products sold on websites outside China to a Chinese consumer are not subject to Chinese rules and regulations.
Products imported to China are subject to duty and taxes
B2C purchases from foreign internet sites are not subject to Chinese product certification rules (i.e. overseas cosmetic products sold directly to a consumer do not require Chinese product certification).
7. ICP Internet Contents Provider
The company is issued an ICP license and ICP certification for internet content, including domain names, apps, and IP addresses.
The types of ICP certification you can request will depend on your Chinese company's ICP license.
The certification process is for public internet content only. If the content is for a company’s internal use and not accessible to the public, then certification is not required. Suppose a domain name is used to access the company’s information online. In that case, the domain name may need ICP certification, even if it is only a login screen.
8. Shipping to the Chinese Consumer
Shipping goods to China is not as well established as shipping goods from China. The exception is the services offered by Chinese e-Malls, such as Tmall, Taobao, JDbuy, etc.
Once the goods arrive at the clearing centre in China, the consumer can track the shipment process on their mobile apps.
When purchasing international goods, the typical delivery time on the e-Mall sites is 15 days.
Access to China and its directors have been working and trading in China for over twenty years. We have manufactured, imported, and exported to China during this time. While Access to China primarily focuses on IT services, we also assist Chinese companies in sourcing products and services from overseas companies.
There are many books and websites dedicated to the subject of successfully trading with/within China.
We want to add a few key points to consider when trading with the Chinese markets.
Last modified:v 2.2 - October 2025