Foreign brands need either a China entity (WFOE) with a general taxpayer status or work through Tmall Global/Cross-border pilots that ship from abroad. Tmall/JD flagship stores require the entity route; Douyin commerce grows fastest for discovery-led brands.
Platform map: (1) Tmall International — cross-border bonded/direct-mail model, NO China entity needed initially, brand must be registered (or qualifying overseas trademark), deposit + commissions, and annual sales-dependent fees. (2) Tmall (domestic) — requires WFOE + general VAT taxpayer + China trademark + EPR obligations; flagship store for serious localization. (3) JD — similar domestic requirements; strong in electronics/appliances. (4) Douyin (TikTok China) — content-driven commerce; requires Chinese entity for domestic settlement; livestream/KOL economics differ from the West. (5) Payment/settlement: cross-border model settles offshore (good for cash control); domestic model settles in RMB with VAT invoices throughout. (6) The trademark rule: register your China trademark FIRST — trademark squatters routinely block genuine brands at platform verification (see our trademark answer).
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Zhonghui Consulting handles FDI registration, WFOE setup, banking, accounting, and foreign-staff compliance end-to-end — fixed fees, English-speaking team, ICPA-licensed delivery.
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