外国人如何在中国创业？（下）

Julian M.
Simply put, register a company.
There are a few important aspects that I will address here.
A company in China does not require a foreign registered company to register. You can register with your passport. It depends on your business plan as to which method would be appropriate. For those that are considering companies that will raise money for example, this will be better with a foreign registered company, but if you are just building your business yourself or have a small business then your passport is fine.

简而言之，注册一家公司需要考虑以下几个要点：
在中国，你不需要通过外国公司来注册，直接用护照就可以。选择哪种方式取决于你的商业计划。如果你计划融资，可能需要一个外国公司；但如果是自己创业或小规模业务，护照就足够了。

The city which you register is important because of work permit and residence permit regulations. You cannot have a company in one city assist you with working and living in another city.
Unless in some special situations, the capital contribution is “registered capital” and not “paid capital.” This is kind of like a promissory note in that you will pay the capital during the time of the business’ operations.

选择在哪个城市注册公司是很重要的，因为它关系到工作许可和居住许可的规定。你不能在一个城市注册公司，却在另一个城市工作和居住。
通常情况下，你需要提供的是“注册资本”而非“实缴资本”，这有点像是一个承诺，意味着你将在公司运营过程中投入资金。

Having a Chinese partner for some businesses or industries is required, but for many that a foreigner will start is not required. Also, if you have a Chinese partner it is important for you to ensure you are properly legal on the business licenses, too. Many foreigners got taken advantage of because they had no legal control over their own business.
Some industries have specific requirements to meet for special licensing and the licenses does not guarantee you will be successful. It only guarantees the right to engage in the area of business mentioned.

对于某些业务或行业，找个中国合作伙伴是必需的，但对于大多数外国人创业的项目来说，这不是强制要求。如果你有中国合作伙伴，确保你在法律上对业务有足够的控制权也很重要，以免被利用。
一些行业需要特殊的许可，但这些许可并不保证你的业务取得成功，它们只赋予你从事特定业务的权利。

A work permit and a residence permit is not a guarantee if you start a business in China. For those that do not meet the qualifications for a work permit and a residence permit, this needs to be considered. In addition, work with a business visa (which is meant for meetings, conference, factory visits, etc) is illegal whether you started a company or work for someone else.

在中国创业并不自动意味着你能获得工作许可和居住许可。如果你不符合这些许可的资格，这将是一个需要考虑的问题。此外，无论你是自己开公司还是为别人打工，持有商务签证（用于开会、参观工厂等）都是非法的。

These days there is the only possible benefit for purchasing a company second hand is if you can work in an industry that the government is no longer providing the licenses for. Other than that the risk is too high because you would be responsible for the company’s prior activity. In addition, currently the processing time is not very different if you purchase a company secondhand and the costs are much higher because the prior founder will want to be paid, too. You can review my lixedIn article about this subject: Should I register a company in Mainland China or Hong Kong if I am doing business in Mainland China?
Unlike in other countries, you cannot close a company by not paying the annual running costs. You are responsible for properly shutting down a company if you plan to no longer use it.

如今，收购二手公司的唯一好处可能是你能进入政府不再发放许可证的行业。但这样做风险很高，因为你将对公司过去的活动负责。此外，如果你购买一家二手公司，目前的处理时间与注册新公司相比，并没有太大的不同，而且成本要高得多，因为之前的创始人也希望得到报酬。你可以看看我在领英上关于这个主题的文章：如果我在中国大陆做生意，我应该在中国大陆还是在香港（特区）注册公司？
与其他国家不同，你不能简单地通过不支付年度运营成本来关闭公司。如果你决定不再使用公司，你有责任正确地注销它。

Some foreigners were taken advantage of by agents because they either charged a low starting price and high annual costs or they charged their fees but did not include some necessary related services. It is important to know the detailed processes so that you know if someone is offering a good deal or not.
A Hong Kong registered company is indeed the same as a foreign company. Hong Kong companies do not have the right to employ people in Mainland China.

有些外国人被中介欺骗，因为这些中介要么一开始收取很低的费用，但随后每年收取高昂的费用；要么他们收费时并没有包含一些必要的相关服务。因此，了解整个流程的细节非常重要，这样你才能分辨出别人提供的是否是一个真正划算的交易。
注册在香港（特区）的公司实际上被视为外国公司。这些公司没有权利在中国大陆直接雇佣员工。

Having a Chinese company is not necessarily a solution for a work permit and residence permit only. The company cannot remain dormant. There will need to be activity and your company because it will employ at least one foreigner is subject to annual inspections. If you work with multiple companies, then the contracts would need to be with your company and your company would need to be paid from the work provided. In addition, foreigners cannot legally freelance in China. No visa supports this.

拥有一家中国公司并不自动解决工作许可和居住许可的问题。公司不能没有业务活动，必须保持运营。特别是，如果你的公司至少雇佣了一名外国人，那么它将受到年度检查。如果你与多家公司合作，那么这些合作的合同需要与你自己的公司签订，并且你的公司需要从这些合作中获得报酬。另外，外国人在中国不能合法地从事自由职业，没有签证允许这样做。

The binding language of agreements in China is Chinese. Unless some unique situation, for example, if both parties are foreigners, and the agreements specify otherwise, then Chinese is assumed.
I think that I have addressed the key points for this topic. Please comment or message me with specific questions or concerns.

在中国，合同的官方语言是中文。除非有特殊情况，比如合同双方都是外国人，并且合同中特别指明使用其他语言，否则默认使用中文。
我认为我已经覆盖了这个话题的所有关键点。如果你有任何具体的问题或担忧，请随时评论或私信我。

Alex Phillips
Before setting out on the journey of China market entry, I’d suggest you to take some time and ask yourself the one fundamental question: What’s the hook? - What is the compelling reason why your product or service would sell in China? Not every product, or every company, is suitable, or ready, for the Chinese market.
For anyone without a clear case to do business in China, my personal advice is: Don’t come. China has an ability to instil a unique fever in people, a myth as old as business in China itself - the seductive thought that “if only 1 in a 1000 Chinese bought my product, I’d be rich”. This thought alone has caused many a Western business leader, from titans of industry, to countless hapless entrepreneurs, a painful bloody nose in China. Remember Uber? Ouch.

在你决定进军中国市场之前，我建议你先花点时间，扪心自问一个基本问题：亮点是什么？——你的产品或服务在中国市场上销售的吸引力在哪里？并不是所有的产品或公司都适合或已经准备好进入中国市场。
对于那些没有明确理由在中国开展业务的人来说，我的个人建议是：不要贸然进入。中国有一种独特的魅力，能够在人们心中点燃一种激情，这种激情伴随着在中国经商的历史，源远流长——那就是这样一个诱人的念头：“哪怕只有千分之一的中国人买我的产品，我也能赚大钱”。这种幻想已经让许多西方商业领袖，从行业巨头到无数不幸的创业者，在中国市场上碰得头破血流。还记得优步吗？那是一个痛苦的教训。

China is the largest market on the planet for many goods and services, but it is similarly a giant of production - there is no shortage of goods and services for Chinese consumers to choose from. One of my favourite sayings regarding the China market is:
“China is a market larger than you can possibly imagine. China is also a market more competitive that you can possibly envisage.”
There has to be a good case for going before taking this step.
Feel free to contact me if you want more insights about the Chinese market!

中国是许多商品和服务的最大市场，但同时也是一个巨大的生产国——中国消费者面对的商品和服务选择非常丰富。关于中国市场，我有一个最喜欢的说法：
“中国市场之大，超出你的想象。中国市场的竞争之激烈，也超出你的预期。”
在决定进入中国市场之前，你必须有一个充分的理由。
如果您想了解更多关于中国市场的信息，请随时联系我！

Casey xiao-Morris
There are common 5 strategies that foreign companies use to do business in China. The one that suits you has to meet the following criteria:
1. your financial resources
2. your business model for China
3. How to compete and sustain
4. short term and long term goals
5. your product

外国公司在中国开展业务通常采用五种常见策略。适合您的策略需要满足以下标准：
您的财务资源
您在中国的商业模式
如何竞争和维持
短期和长期目标
您的产品

Quickly, the 5 strategies I mentioned include: 1. set up representative office, 2. work with 3rd party sales agent, distributors, 3. manage remotely ( feasible for online business), 4. set up your own operations ( WFOE, Wholly Foreign-Owned Enterprise) and 5. operate under a 3rd party WFOE.

我简要提到的五种策略包括：
设立代表处
与第三方销售代理或分销商合作
远程管理（适用于在线业务）
自行设立运营机构（WFOE，即全外资企业）
在第三方WFOE下运营。

Benny Xu
To start a business, I believe the first step is to register a Company in China, so following I will introduce how you register a comapany in China:
The following is overall relevant documents and materials on the actual experience of foreign investment registration services.
Requirements for the establishment of foreign investment

我认为创业的第一步是在中国注册公司，所以下面我将介绍如何在中国注册公司：
以下是有关外商投资登记服务实际经验的相关文件资料。
外商投资设立条件

(1)At least five alternative names for your new company
(2)The business scope of the new company
(3) Scanned copy of legal representative, supervisor and all shareholders’ passports.(Each page should be clearly identifiable, including the most recent entry and exit record page) (Original or translated version might need to be submitted
afterward if required)
(4) Copy of legal representative, supervisor and all shareholders’ business cards
(Information including : office number , mobile phone number ,e-mail)
Note: A council of directors is to be created for companies having two and more shareholders. Their information shall be needed too, following the aforementioned requirements.

为你的新公司至少准备5个备选名称
新公司的经营范围
法定代表人、监事和所有股东的护照扫描件（每一页都需清晰可辨，包括最新的出入境记录页；如果需要，可能还要提交原件或翻译件）
法定代表人、监事和所有股东的名片复印件（包括办公室电话、手机号码、电子邮件） 注意：如果公司有两个或以上股东，需要设立董事会，并按照上述要求提供董事会成员的信息。

(5)Shareholding ratio and shareholding structure chart
In quality of incorporated unit (pre-existing company)
The following additional documents are to be provided :
(6) Copy of Certificate of Incorporation

股权比例和股权结构图
如果是以现有公司的身份注册：
需要提供以下额外文件：
6. 公司注册证书复印件

(7) Copy of Notarized & Certified Certificate of Incorporation by relevant authorities
(8) Copy of the notarized and legalized Bank Credibility Letter and bank flow
statement of the current company
(9) Other relevant materials for the company registration of particular field

7. 经相关机构公证认证的公司注册证书复印件
8. 公司当前的银行信用证明和银行对账单的公证及认证副本。
9. 特定领域公司注册所需的其他相关材料

Kobon International Business Limited
You can start by registering your business in China. Picks up a city in China in which you want to start your business. If you aim for the capitol then register your business in Beijing. If you aim for financial related industry, Shanghai would be your city to register. If you aim for a technology-related industry, then Shenzhen would be suitable for you to register your business. If you aim for trading, many industrial and factories located in Guangzhou.
After decided the city, you can start to prepare the documents necessary to register your business. In general, here are what it takes:

你可以从在中国注册你的公司开始。选择一个你想要开展业务的中国城市。如果你的目标是首都，那么在北京注册你的企业。如果你的目标是金融行业，上海会是注册公司的好选择。如果你关注的是技术行业，深圳将是一个适合注册的地方。如果你的目标是贸易，许多工业和工厂都集中在广州。
确定了城市后，你可以开始准备注册企业所需的文件。一般来说，需要以下文件：

Identity Documents of all shareholders (Passport in this case)
The Company name (City + Brand + Industry + Limited)
Registered Capital (Minimum is 1 yuan, no capital verification)
Shares distribution (If it is not sole-proprietorship then need a proportion distribution of all shareholders)

所有股东的身份证明文件（在这种情况下是护照）
公司名称（通常格式为：城市+品牌+行业+有限公司）
注册资本（最低限额为1元人民币，无需资本验证）
股份分配（如果不是独资企业，则需要所有股东的股份比例分配）

Clear Business Scope (For trading company needs to define what specifically the goods are projected to be exported/imported)
Registration address (Office lease contract)
The registration process will take about 7 working days.
You can also ask an agent to do the company registration for you,

明确的业务范围（对于贸易公司来说，需要明确指出计划出口/进口的具体商品）
注册地址（办公室租赁合同）
注册过程大约需要7个工作日。
你也可以委托代理机构帮你完成公司注册。

Jim Spear
Use an offshore entity you own to make the investment in a wholly foreign-owned enterprise (WFOE). Don’t use a Chinese friend or relative to front for you. I have set up quite a few companies in China, including jv’s, WFOE’s, and Chinese-invested entities. I think that now foreigners have “national treatment” it’s actually harder than earlier when the country needed investment funds and technology more than today. Still, even with a slightly lower growth rate than before, China is still BOOMING. Small business has a hard time of it here — like anywhere else, I guess. But if you have a good business model and are prepared to be flexible and figure out how to roll with the many punches you can expect, by all means, invest and prosper.

使用你自己拥有的海外实体来投资设立一个全外资企业（WFOE）。不要通过中国朋友或亲戚来代理。我在中国设立了几家公司，包括合资企业、WFOE和中国投资实体。我认为现在外国人享有“国民待遇”，实际上比过去更难了，因为中国现在对资金和技术的需求不如以前那么迫切。尽管如此，即使经济增长率有所下降，中国依然在迅速发展。小企业在这里同样面临挑战——我想，这在任何地方都是一样的。如果你有一个出色的商业模式，并且准备好了灵活适应和应对可能面临的各种挑战，那么请大胆投资，祝你生意兴隆。

Fabian Knopf
Let me qualify Gary's answer a bit. Foreigns can directly register a legal entity (company is a bit of an ambiguous term here) in China. For a representative office (RO), a corporate sponsor is necessary and has to have a term of operation of at least two years. There may be requirements for specific industries and business activities that require a corporate investor, but I would state that as a general requirement. There are however different tax treatments for individual and corporate investors for dividends.

我来对Gary的回答进行一些澄清。外国人可以直接在中国注册一个法律实体——在这里，“公司”这个词可能有些模糊。如果是为了设立代表处（RO），就需要有一个企业赞助商，并且这个赞助商至少需要有两年的经营历史。对于某些特定行业和商业活动，可能需要一个企业投资者，但我将这视为一个普遍要求。不过，对于个人和企业投资者来说，股息的税收政策是不同的。

Staying with the cookie-cutting, before you register an RO or an entity (an RO is not its own legal entity) in China, make sure you actually have a business. Business here refers to customers and a steady stream of revenues. There's no value in having a empty legal structure with lots of regular and irregular compliance requirements.

遵循标准流程，在您在中国注册代表处（RO）或任何实体（请注意，RO本身并不构成一个独立的法律实体）之前，请确保您确实拥有实际运营的业务。这里的“业务”指的是拥有客户基础和持续的收入来源。仅仅拥有一个空壳的法律结构，却要应对频繁和不定期的合规要求，是毫无意义的。

Becki Lee
I have a few friends who have practiced their pitches, shared failures, and successes, as well as insider tips with me so I will share some of the missed points that other answers haven’t really touched on.
Cram some business Chinese phrases or at least a proper introduction before venturing further. Not only is it common curtesy to speak a little during initial greetings but aim to impress and build a foundation for a good, trusting relationship. Anything more will be a bonus and will ensure no one can take advantage of you during meetings where some finer details might be discussed between Chinese business partners.

我有几个朋友，他们和我一起练习演讲、分享失败与成功的经验，还给了我一些内部建议。因此，我会分享一些其他答案可能没有提到的要点。
在深入商业活动之前，先学一些商务汉语短语或者至少准备一个合适的自我介绍。这不仅是出于礼貌，在初次见面时说几句汉语，而且能够给对方留下深刻印象，为建立良好的信任关系打下基础。如果还能说更多，那将是额外的优势，确保在与中国商业伙伴讨论细节时，没有人会利用你。

Think futuristically since China is developing so fast. You must implement strategy where big data technology connects and optimizes offline outlets and online stores to enhance customer experiences. This is an inevitable trend of social development and it is sure to spark new waves of innovation. We have unmanned retail stores now. Imagine scanning a “二维码 (èrwéimǎ) QR code” on Wechat or Alipay at the entrance of the store where cameras track patrons for facial recognition which prompts the doors to open for you, you scan your items which are billed electronically, then you are able to leave. Things are moving online. Think e-commerce and especially a service focused business. The latter of the two are harder for Chinese companies to replicate.

要以前瞻性的思维来看待问题，因为中国的发展速度非常迅猛。你必须采取策略，利用大数据技术来连接和优化线下门店与在线商店，以此提升顾客体验。这是社会发展的必然趋势，也必将引发新的创新浪潮。我们已经拥有了无人零售店。设想一下，在商店入口处，你只需扫描微信或支付宝上的二维码，摄像头会通过面部识别技术来识别顾客，然后自动为你开门，你扫描商品后，账单会电子化处理，之后你就可以直接离开。一切都在向线上转移。考虑电子商务，尤其是以服务为核心的商业模式。在这两种模式中，以服务为核心的业务更难以被中国公司复制。

3. Build relationships by understanding Chinese culture.
Don’t underestimate the power of 关系 Guanxi (relationship) between you, your customers, and business partners. It comes from Confucianism, and the philosophy that one should associate one’s self with others in a hierarchical way, to maintain social order. The foundation of “关系 (guānxi) Guanxi” is trust, reciprocity and following through on mutual obligations. In its most basic form, Guanxi is used to describe the simple connection between two people, the connection that you use to perform a favor for that person, or for them to perform a favor for you. It’s essentially your “standing” with another person. Guanxi also addresses that network of contacts you have to call upon when you really need something.

通过深入了解中国文化来建立人际关系。
千万不要小看了“关系”的力量，它在你、你的客户和商业伙伴之间扮演着重要角色。这种关系观念源自儒家思想，强调人们应该以一种等级化的方式与他人建立联系，以此来保持社会秩序。“关系”的核心是信任、互惠以及履行相互之间的义务。在最基本的层面上，“关系”描述的是两个人之间的联系，这种联系让你能够为对方做一些事情，或者对方为你做一些事情。它本质上代表了你与他人之间的“关系地位”。此外，“关系”还指你在真正需要帮助时可以依靠的人际网络。

Understand 人情 (rénqíng) – human feelings; human relationship; favor; gift. This concept plays an important part in Chinese society. It points to displays of affection and emotion, people’s sense, worldly affairs, friendly sentiments and sensitivity to other’s feelings. In a more practical usage, it points to the benefits and connections that come from person-to-person interaction. Remember that you should always repay 人情 (rénqíng). It is never a good thing to just receive it and do nothing for the person in return. You could easily lose friends or business associates this way.

理解“人情”——这个词汇涵盖了人与人之间的情感交流、人际关系、互相间的恩惠以及礼物。在中国社会中，这个概念非常重要，它涉及到情感的表达、对他人感受的理解和关怀，以及在世俗事务中的友好互动。在实际操作中，它还指个人交往中形成的利益和联系。请记住，对于收到的“人情”，你总是需要回报的。如果你只是接受而不给予回报，这可不是一件好事。这样做可能会导致你失去朋友或业务伙伴。