China is doing its best to position itself as a unique entity both politically and commercially, with great success on both ends. If are looking to infiltrate the Chinese market, prepare yourself for an entirely new culture. You will have to negotiate new and unique government regulations and cultural norms. Your ability to dig deeply into these norms will determine your ability to succeed in the market.
Localization on a national level is obviously required, but many companies overlook or underestimate the amount of localization that is required between subcultures and regions within the great country. Honestly, there is no such thing as “selling to the Chinese.” That is the same thing as saying “sell to Africa” with its 50+ countries and thousands of dialects. China is perhaps not quite that culturally disperse, but it is close.
The bottom line is that you will be doing some cultural digging if you do want success in China.
