Beijing netizens are raising a howl over a new rule issued by the Beijing Administration for Industry and Commerce (BAIC) requiring profit-oriented online stores to secure business permits.

In a survey conducted in Beijing, an overwhelming majority of 80% responded negatively to the new rule saying that it will kill fledgling online businesses and discourage newcomers from setting up shops online. But BAIC authorities maintain that there are advantages to the new rule that people...

A website for your business is an indispensable requirement for international trade. Your domain name and web presence may be a comforting sight to potential clients and buyers. You may wish to hire a web designer to develop your company’s website or you may choose to sign up with a ready-made e-commerce platform like Alibaba.com.

Results of the Netguide 2008 Summary show that business to business (B2B) transactions reached 1.25 trillion yuan in China last year. For 2008 and...

It is not necessary to establish an on-site presence if you want to sell to China, but it is often recommended as the best way to go. If you are dealing in physical products, where quality and distribution are issues, then you must have people in China to represent you.

Sometimes it can take a lot of time to cultivate contacts and establish the proper channels in order to satisfy the requirements of the various government authorities involved in approving a business.
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Many E-commerce observers in China are eating their words these days what with the uptrend in Chinese online spending. Ironically, trading on the Internet has been met with a lot of skepticism in a country that is known for shrewd and hardworking businessmen.

Consider the demographics in China where the average Internet user is young, rich and eager to learn new things. Perhaps, the skeptics had their misgivings about e-commerce precisely because they belong to an older group...

In June 2008, the average Chinese internet user spent 19 hours a week online, an increase of almost 3 hours per month over the period ending December 2007.

What are they doing online? They are looking at online music, news, video, search engines, email and online games. 25% are purchasing online and 18.5% are participating in online educational pursuits.

An increased willingness by the Chinese to purchase online is a direct result of more developed and reliable payment...