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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The Internet may be the battleground for competitors in business but its players have learned an important lesson to stay afloat in the electronic world: cooperation. Such can be said of China e-tail rivals, Amazon.cn and Taobao.com. Only recently, Amazon entered into an arrangement with Alipay, a Taobao sister company, for the use of Alipay’s online payment system in the Amazon website.

The deal is an acknowledgement of the wide acceptance of Alipay’s facilities among mainland...

The interest of big investors in online education has made it a new focus for investment in the China’s education industry.

Students in underdeveloped and remote parts of the country are gaining the most from online education, but in addition online universities are now offering working people and students who have failed entrance exams an opportunity of training and education. The Ministry of Education has set up 2,027 off-campus learning centers (stations) around China, offering...