Invest in China

International practice

Our close relationship with top Chinese law firms as well as our expertise in Chinese law enables us to advise on entering the Chinese market and different aspects of doing business in China, such as such establishing corporate structures, including joint ventures, wholly owned subsidiaries and representative offices.

China continues to be an attractive and reliable investment destination despite the ongoing pandemic and geopolitical events. In 2020, China became the world’s largest direct investment recipient (FDI), and in the first ten months of 2022, foreign investment in China saw rapid growth, particularly in sectors such as high-tech and manufacturing.

Foreign investment in China can be made via one of various types of investment vehicles. The most common investment tactics in China are:

• Representative office
• Wholly foreign owned enterprise
• Joint venture
• Foreign invested partnership
• Global staffing solutions
• Mergers and acquisitions
• Variable interest entity.

Choosing a location is one of the first decisions that companies that invest in China must make. Location can have a major impact on the success of a business, since some locations have more preferential policies for foreign investors, such as, Hong Kong, Macao, Hainan Free Port and Western China. Additionally, China has established 21 free trade zones (FTZs).

Establishing a foreign investment in China usually takes from three to six months, and involves the following government authorities:

• Ministry of Commerce,
• State Administration for Market Regulation,
• State Administration of Foreign Exchange,
• State Taxation Administration,
• General Administration of Customs and
• National Bureau of Statistics.