China remains one of the world’s most important business destinations, and the protocol for doing business here is meaningfully different from Western corporate culture. Getting a few things right — business cards, meeting format, relationship-building over dinner — makes a significant difference to how your trip goes. Here’s what first-time business visitors to China need to know.
Table of contents
Open Table of contents
Visas for Business Travel
The type of visa you need depends on what you’re actually doing in China:
- M Visa (商务签证): For commercial and trade activities — attending trade shows, signing contracts, visiting factories. This is the correct visa for most business travel. Apply at your nearest Chinese embassy or consulate; typical processing is 4-7 business days, ¥140-200 equivalent.
- F Visa (访问签证): For exchanges, visits, and study tours — research visits, academic conferences, cultural exchanges.
- L Visa (旅游签证): Tourist visa. Technically not appropriate for business activities, but in practice many short-term business visitors use it for market research, attending trade shows as a visitor, or initial exploratory meetings.
For 2026, a significant expansion of visa-free access has occurred. Citizens of many countries can now enter China visa-free for 15-30 days for business meetings — check the current list at the China Embassy website for your country before applying for a visa at all.
144-hour transit visa: If your business trip is extremely short (3-6 days) and you’re in transit between two international destinations, the 144-hour transit policy gives you free movement within a designated region without a visa at all. Available in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu, and other major cities.
WeChat: The Non-Negotiable Business Tool
WeChat (微信) is not optional for doing business in China. It is the primary communication platform for Chinese professionals — replacing email for day-to-day communication, being used for document sharing, and serving as the business card exchange mechanism for many Chinese executives.
Setting up WeChat for business:
- Download WeChat (available on all app stores internationally)
- Register with your phone number — needs to receive an SMS verification
- Set a professional WeChat ID (you can change this once)
- Add a clear profile photo and your name in Latin letters
How to exchange contact details: The standard method in Chinese business contexts is to open WeChat and show your QR code to the other person. They scan it and you’re connected. Paper business cards are still used, but a WeChat exchange is usually expected immediately after.
WeChat Work (企业微信): Larger Chinese companies use WeChat Work, a corporate version with enhanced file sharing, meeting scheduling, and compliance features. If your Chinese partners are on WeChat Work, they can still communicate with regular WeChat users.
Business Card Etiquette
This is the detail that gets highlighted in every China business guide because it genuinely matters and violations are noticed:
- Receive with both hands: When someone offers you their business card, take it with both hands, look at it for a moment (read the name, note the title), and place it respectfully in front of you on the table or in a card holder.
- Never write on someone’s card in their presence
- Do not put it in your back pocket — keeping it on the table during the meeting or in a front shirt pocket is correct
- Present your card with both hands as well, Chinese text facing toward the recipient if you have a bilingual card
Having bilingual business cards (English on one side, Simplified Chinese on the other) is strongly recommended for regular China visitors. Printing services in China are extremely fast and cheap — a local print shop will produce 200 double-sided cards in 24 hours for ¥60-100.
Meeting Protocol and Hierarchy
Chinese business meetings are more formal than most Western equivalents, particularly at first meetings. A few things to know:
Hierarchy matters: In Chinese corporate culture, seniority is respected and explicit. The most senior person in your delegation should enter the room first and be seated opposite their Chinese counterpart. If you’re unclear about your hosts’ seniority hierarchy, pay attention to who speaks first and who others defer to.
Small talk comes first: Don’t jump into business agenda immediately. A round of tea, some conversation about your journey, your impressions of China, and light topics is expected and serves a purpose — it begins the relationship-building that Chinese business culture values.
Decision-making is slow: Chinese companies often require consensus across multiple levels before decisions are made. The person you’re meeting may not have authority to commit; a “we’ll study this and get back to you” response means the process is working correctly, not stalling.
Gift giving: Small, quality gifts from your home country are appropriate at initial meetings. A bottle of quality whisky, branded tea, regional food specialty, or a book about your city/country are all suitable. Avoid clocks (symbolise death in Chinese culture), pears (symbolise separation), and anything in sets of four (unlucky number).
Banquet Dining and Baijiu
If your Chinese business partners invite you to dinner, they are investing significantly in relationship-building and this should be treated accordingly. Chinese business banquets have a specific format:
The host’s role: The host orders all the food (you will usually not be asked for individual preferences), ensures everyone’s glass is full, and initiates the toasts. The host pays without discussion — fighting over the bill is embarrassing for the host.
Toasting with baijiu (白酒): Baijiu is a strong grain spirit (typically 40-60% ABV) and forms the centrepiece of business banquet toasting culture. The host will say “ganbei” (干杯 — “dry cup”) and you’re expected to drain the glass. The ritual is:
- Fill your glass when others’ are being filled
- When toasting, hold your glass with both hands or with the right hand supported by the left
- If you genuinely cannot drink alcohol, say so politely and firmly upfront — most Chinese hosts will respect this and offer a juice alternative. Don’t pretend to sip and not finish, as this is noticed.
Dishes: A formal banquet involves many dishes served to the whole table, not individual orders. Try everything offered. Refusing food can seem rude; taking small portions and saying “it’s delicious” (非常好吃, fēicháng hǎochī) even if you’re cautious about certain ingredients is the socially smooth approach.
Accommodation and Logistics
Major business hotels in Chinese tier-1 cities are excellent — the Four Seasons, Marriott, Shangri-La, and Hyatt portfolios in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen are comparable to the best in the world. Business hotel daily rates: ¥800-2000 in tier-1 cities; ¥500-1000 in tier-2 cities.
VPN: Install before you arrive. Google Workspace, Slack, Microsoft Teams (partially), and many standard Western business tools are affected by the Great Firewall. ExpressVPN and Astrill are most reliable for business use.
Translation apps: Google Translate camera function works well for menus and signage. Baidu Translate is the Chinese equivalent and works offline for Mandarin. Having the Pleco offline dictionary is useful for detailed vocabulary.
Tipping: China doesn’t have a tipping culture. Don’t tip in restaurants after business dinners — it’s confusing and potentially embarrassing for your hosts.
Building relationships (关系, guānxi) in China takes time and is genuinely important for long-term business success. The first trip is usually about face-to-face relationship establishment, not closing deals. Go with that expectation and the visit will be more productive.