Based in Jinan, Shandong, China | Serving clients worldwide
Operating in China
FDI & Market Entry: From Trading With China to Operating in China
For companies moving from buying out of China to running an entity in it. Entity formation, joint venture negotiation and governance structure — quoted on request, because no two structures are the same.
Two Packages
Choose the Structure You Actually Need
Package A
WFOE Setup in China
- Name pre-approval
- Business licence application
- Tax and foreign-exchange registration
- Bank account opening support
Package B
Joint Venture Formation
- Counterparty identification
- Term sheet and joint venture agreement drafting
- Negotiation support
- Incorporation of the JV entity
How We Quote a China Market Entry Project
- Entity setup depends on the municipality, the licensed business scope, capital requirements and your own group structure.
- Joint venture work depends heavily on the counterparty and how far negotiation has to go.
- You receive a written scope and fee after an initial review — never an open-ended engagement.
Joint Ventures in China: What the Negotiation Covers
Setting up a company in China and forming a joint venture are different projects with different risks. A WFOE gives you full control and full liability; a JV gives you a Chinese partner's licences, distribution and local knowledge — and a governance problem you have to design for on day one. Most of the work in China market entry happens before you register anything: deciding what the entity will actually do, checking that the licensed business scope permits it, and agreeing how decisions get made and how either side can exit. We handle name pre-approval, the business licence application, tax and foreign-exchange registration and bank account opening support for a WFOE, and counterparty identification, term sheet, joint venture agreement drafting and negotiation support for a JV. Entity setup depends on the municipality, the licensed scope, capital requirements and your group structure, so we quote each project after an initial review rather than publishing a flat price.
A joint venture in China is a governance document before it is a registration. The negotiation normally turns on four points: how board seats and reserved matters are allocated, how profits are distributed and reinvested, what happens if one party wants out, and which of you controls the licences the entity depends on. Because the counterparty's own approvals, group structure and appetite vary so much, JV work is quoted on request after we have seen the term sheet and had a first call.
Typical Sequence
What the Work Involves
Structure & scope review
What you want the entity to do, and which licensed scope actually permits it.
Documentation
Name pre-approval, articles, and the filings the local authority requires.
Registration
Business licence, tax and foreign-exchange registration, bank account support.
Ongoing
Governance, contracts and compliance — often via a corporate counsel retainer.
Already trading with Chinese suppliers? Verification comes first — before you commit to a joint venture.