How to use this page

These links are grouped by common tasks. Where possible, we prioritise official sources and widely-used industry references.

If you are working on a time-sensitive issue (licensing, banking, tax, or compliance), always confirm requirements with a qualified local adviser.

China internet and ICP filing

• MIIT ICP filing system (beian.miit.gov.cn) — official ICP filing lookup / verification.
• CNNIC (China Internet Network Information Center) — domain and internet development resources.
• MIIT (Ministry of Industry and Information Technology) — policy and telecom / internet regulation.

Chinese search engines and webmaster resources

• Baidu Search Resource Platform (Baidu Webmaster)
• Shenma Webmaster
• Sogou — consumer search + input ecosystem.

Payments and e-commerce platforms

• Alipay (global)
• WeChat Pay
• Tmall (consumer marketplace)
• Taobao (consumer marketplace)
• JD.com (consumer marketplace)
• 1688 (B2B sourcing marketplace)

Chinese social media platforms

• WeChat (Weixin) — messaging, Official Accounts, Mini Programs.
• Weibo — public social media and brand visibility.
• Xiaohongshu (RED) — lifestyle, reviews, and social commerce.
• Douyin — short video and live commerce.
• Bilibili — video communities and youth culture.

Chinese e-Commerce platforms

• Tmall — brand-led B2C marketplace.
• Taobao — C2C and social commerce.
• JD.com — logistics-driven B2C platform.
• Pinduoduo — price-driven, group-buying commerce.
• 1688 — domestic B2B sourcing marketplace.

Trade bodies and organisations

• MOFCOM — Ministry of Commerce of the PRC.
• CCPIT — China Council for the Promotion of International Trade.
• China-Britain Business Council (CBBC)
• UK Department for Business & Trade

Business verification and company lookup

• National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System (GSXT) — official company registration lookup.
• Qichacha — commercial company data (useful for cross-checking).
• Tianyancha — commercial company data (useful for cross-checking).

Shipping and customs

• UK HMRC — export/import guidance and duties.
• China Customs — policies and announcements.
• Royal Mail — small parcel shipping reference.

Helpful tools from Access to China

• 🧪 Test a web page from China — quick visibility/performance checks.
• Contact Access to China — tell us what you are trying to achieve and we’ll suggest next steps.

What is Chinese New Year?

Chinese New Year (also called the Spring Festival) marks the start of the new year in the Chinese lunisolar calendar. It is a family-focused national holiday and the largest annual migration period in China.

For business, the main issue is operational disruption: factories slow down, shipping capacity tightens, and many teams take extended leave.

Chinese years

Chinese New Year day falls on a different Gregorian date each year.

Business impact: what changes

• Factories: early cut-offs for production, slower output, quality risk during ramp-down and ramp-up.
• Logistics: tighter capacity, higher rates, delays at ports and consolidation hubs.
• Office teams: decision-makers on leave, slower approvals, reduced support response times.
• Cashflow: suppliers may request earlier deposits; buyers may pause purchasing.

Planning timeline (simple model)

• 8–10 weeks before: confirm production plan, lock packaging/artwork, approve samples.
• 6–8 weeks before: book freight options, confirm warehouse space, finalise promotional plans.
• 4–6 weeks before: place final orders, confirm cut-off dates with suppliers and forwarders.
• 2–4 weeks before: expect “last shipments” and reduced responsiveness; focus on urgent priorities only.
• 2–3 weeks after: gradual restart; plan for backlog and slower ramp-up.

Opportunities: marketing and relationship building

• Send New Year greetings to suppliers and partners (respectful, short, and timely).
• Plan China-facing campaigns that match seasonal behaviour (gifting, family, travel).
• Update your customer support plan if you sell to China (expected delivery and response times).

China public holiday window

China’s official Spring Festival holiday typically covers around one week, but the real business disruption is longer due to travel and factory re-staffing.

For 2026, China’s official holiday schedule lists Spring Festival leave across mid‑February, but operational impact commonly starts earlier and ends later.

Need help planning your China timeline?

If you want help mapping a realistic schedule for procurement, website readiness, logistics, or platform launches, contact us and we’ll suggest a practical plan.

How this hub is organised

The Access to China information library is organised into three practical collections. Each collection reflects how Chinese users, platforms, and regulations actually work.

Start with reliability (being seen), move to discovery (being found), and then build the trading model and operations (start trading).

Browse the article collections

Use the tiles below to enter each collection. Each collection contains topic pages and practical checklists.

Summary

This policy explains what personal data we may collect, why we collect it, how we protect it, and the choices you have.

We aim to collect the minimum data needed to deliver the service you requested and to run our business securely.

Who we are

Website: accesstochina.com

Organisation: Access to China

Contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you contact us through a form, email, or phone, you are sharing information so we can respond and (where requested) provide services.

What data we collect

• Contact data: name, company name, email address, phone number.
• Enquiry data: the content of messages you send us, attachments, and any project details you choose to share.
• Service data: information required to deliver contracted work (for example: website URLs, hosting details, DNS details, platform accounts, and technical requirements).
• Billing data: invoicing details and payment references (we do not aim to store full payment card details).
• Website usage data (limited): technical logs that help operate and secure the website (for example: IP address, user agent, pages requested, error logs).

How we use your data

• To respond to enquiries and provide requested information.
• To deliver and support services you have requested or purchased.
• To manage billing, accounts, and customer support.
• To maintain website reliability and security (fraud prevention, malware detection, troubleshooting).
• To improve our documentation and service quality (using aggregated learning, not public disclosure of your details).

Lawful basis

Depending on the context, our lawful basis may include:

• Contract: where we are providing services you have purchased.
• Legitimate interests: responding to enquiries, running our business securely, and improving services.
• Legal obligation: recordkeeping for tax/accounting where required.
• Consent: where you explicitly opt-in (for example, certain marketing communications).

Data sharing and third parties

We may share data with trusted providers only when needed to deliver services or operate securely. This can include:

• Hosting / infrastructure providers, DNS providers, and email providers.
• Payment / invoicing providers for billing administration.
• Security providers (for example, malware scanning or monitoring tools).

We do not sell customer data.

International transfers

Some technical services may process data outside the UK. Where relevant, we aim to minimise personal data in these systems and use appropriate safeguards.

If you are requesting work specifically involving China infrastructure (for example, ICP/hosting/China platforms), some project data may be handled by China-based providers as part of delivering the service.

Retention

We keep customer data only as long as necessary for the purpose it was collected for, including legal and accounting requirements.

• Enquiries: typically retained for a reasonable period to manage follow-up and continuity.
• Contracts and invoices: retained to meet accounting and legal obligations.
• Operational logs: retained for security and troubleshooting for limited periods.

Security

We use practical security controls appropriate to the type of data handled, such as access control, least-privilege administration, backups, and monitoring.

No online system can be guaranteed 100% secure; however, we take security seriously and act promptly on suspected incidents.

Your rights

Depending on your location and applicable law, you may have rights including:

• Access to the personal data we hold about you.
• Correction of inaccurate data.
• Deletion of data (where we have no ongoing lawful basis to retain it).
• Restriction or objection to certain processing.
• Data portability (in certain circumstances).

Contact and complaints

If you have a question or request about your data, contact: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may have the right to raise a complaint with the relevant supervisory authority (for example, the UK Information Commissioner’s Office).