China is a vast country. Very ancient. After the US, it is the second largest economy in the world. According to
this July 7, 2017 Investopedia report, the previous year, China's GDP was $ 23.19 trillion compared to the US GDP of $ 19.42 trillion.
According to various business forecasts, the Chinese economy is poised to overtake the US economy by 2020.
So, if you want to enter the Chinese lucrative market, you are in the league of hundreds of thousands of entrepreneurs having similar aspirations.
Along with giving a big push to entrepreneurs within the country, to attract talent from all over the world, the People's Republic of China also encourages entrepreneurs and business persons from all over the world, especially from Europe and America, to start businesses in mainland China.
Being a very large country with its own behemoth internal economy, there are many peculiarities that can baffle businesspersons who want to start a business in China.
Whether you are a multinational company with a budget of billions of dollars or a small entrepreneur trying to expand his or her wings upon the Chinese terra-firma, you need a local consulting service to help you with paperwork, bureaucracy, infrastructure, local contacts and to overcome language barriers.
Remember that, though the Chinese are a very friendly people, just like in any other country, they have their own ways of working, and if you have never lived in China, you may constantly find yourself at odds with various institutions, government officials and maintenance companies.
Working with the local business partner can save you a ton of money, time and needless effort. Lots of paperwork can be taken care of without even landing in China. All you need to do is, courier your important documents to your local partner here in China, and your documents will be submitted, and forms will be processed by the time you set foot here.
You need local business support to help you navigate through. By simply partnering with the capable business partner you will avoid many pitfalls along the way. Remember that connections matter a lot in China.
Listed below are 5 reasons you should work with a local business consultant or partner like Business China if you want to set up business in China as a foreigner.
1. Cross the language barrier immediately
Although there is a big surge in the number of people wanting to learn English, the Chinese predominately prefer to speak their own language, whether we are talking about municipality, chamber of business, legal firms, accounting firms or banks. Almost all the government websites are in Chinese language. Even the biggest search engine in China is mostly in the Chinese language.
The Chinese is a beautiful language and we are sure you will begin to speak once you start living and doing business in China, but it is going to take some time and you cannot let your business suffer because of that.
At Business China all our employees are adept at speaking both English and Chinese. Not just local lingual nuances, our executives are also fully comfortable with translating business terms. They can seamlessly help you communicate your most complex thoughts to your business partners and customers and clients in China.
2. Company registration and other legal formalities
To be frank, even for the local Chinese people it can be a big headache going from one office to another and one department to another, so, you can easily imagine what an ordeal it can be for a foreign business person who is neither familiar with the geography nor with how to deal with various officials.
The local business partner, having helped many entrepreneurs like you in the past, already has the needed experience, insight, and most importantly, the right contacts, to get things done not just correctly, but also on time.
For example, since 2008 we have helped more than 3000 foreign businesses set up their enterprises in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Foshan, Shanghai and many other metropolitan cities in mainland China. What does this mean? It means we have already gone through, and solved, every possible problem that a business like yours may face while trying to set up business in China as a foreigner.
3. Acquiring local talent
It is almost impossible to run a business in China without hiring local talent. Whether you need a receptionist, an accountant, a machinist, a carpenter, a programmer, a technician, or any other professional or service provider, you are going to need someone locally who can help you hire local talent.
The people needed to run the business, especially a business that is not totally digital, is going to need to hire many professionals and for that you will need the local business consulting service.
4. Taking care of the local accounting and banking laws
Every business that intends to operate within mainland China needs to comply with the country's accounting and banking laws and regulations. And being such a large country, there are many.
You will need to get your company registered and for that you will need to get a local address as soon as possible. Your local business partner or consultant can help you with that.
You will need a bank account. You will need to obtain various insurances. You will need to get clearances from various departments. The Chinese accounting system, bookkeeping system and the way financial statements are generated, are quite different that what you must be familiar with in your own country. A local business consulting partner can help you make all these complex tasks as breeze.
In fact, in many cases you don't have to even set foot in China... you can simply send the needed documents by courier and all the needed processes will be set in motion before your arrival.
5. Help you obtain all the needed licenses
For every type of business, you need a license in mainland China. Licenses are allotted to businesses – both foreign and indigenous – to ensure that only legitimate businesses are allowed to function in the country, businesses that do not indulge in illegal activities, businesses that do not exploit employees and workers, businesses that do not flaunt the data sharing laws of the country and businesses that don't harm the environment.
Even to run different types of websites you need different licenses.
Although necessary, obtaining all these licenses can be a big headache if you don't know the ins and outs of various government offices and departments. You need someone who is totally familiar with the nitty-gritty of obtaining various licenses. Unless you have obtained all the licenses, you cannot operate a business in mainland China.
Conclusion
What we have listed above are just some broad categories that can be of extreme help if you partner with a local business consulting agency like Business China. There can be hundreds of activities. Some of the tasks you can't even imagine unless you come across them and before accomplishing them, you cannot move onto the next step. This is why, partnering with a local business consulting agency if you want to open a business in China as a foreigner, can be invaluable.
