FAQ

FAQ: Entering Mainland China

Before a mainland China launch, the same questions keep coming up: ICP filing or license, filing timelines, CDN requirements, cloud provider choice, WeChat Pay access. This page answers each one in a few sentences and links to the full article for the detailed treatment. Every regulatory figure and vendor detail in these answers traces to a primary source; the source registry lists all 69 with access dates and status.

Filing & compliance

Do foreign companies need an ICP license to operate a website in China?

Most sites served in mainland China require ICP filing (Bei'an) or an ICP license for commercial platforms. The filing is the baseline registration; the license is a separate, additional permit for commercial online platforms and paid services.

Full answer: ICP Filing vs ICP License: Which One You Need

How long does ICP filing take?

With complete documents and a qualified entity, the submission and review phase typically takes 2–4 weeks, varying by province and business category. Entity setup, hosting selection, and document preparation add time before submission. Plan the full timeline from entity decision to live filing, not just the submission window. If the filing is rejected, fix-and-resubmit rounds re-run inside that same window — see the timeline guide's rejection walkthrough.

Full answer: ICP Filing for Foreign Companies: Step-by-Step Timeline

Can a Hong Kong company hold an ICP filing?

No. The filing holder must be a mainland-registered company or qualifying partner — for foreign brands, typically a WFOE. A Hong Kong entity alone does not satisfy this requirement. If your group operates in mainland China through a WFOE, the WFOE holds the filing; the Hong Kong entity cannot be the applicant.

Full answer: WFOE vs Hong Kong Company: ICP Filing Entity Rules Explained

What happens if we operate without an ICP filing?

Operating a mainland-hosted site without a filing risks domain blocking and enforcement action. Domain blocking means visitors cannot reach your site. Plan the filing before your launch date, not after.

Full answer: ICP Filing for Foreign Companies: Step-by-Step Timeline

Do I need an ICP filing to use a CDN in China?

For an acceleration domain serving mainland or global traffic: yes. Both Alibaba Cloud CDN and Tencent EdgeOne require a valid ICP filing before mainland or global acceleration is enabled. For outside-mainland-only acceleration (Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan), no ICP filing is needed — a Public Security Bureau filing is required instead.

Full answer: China CDN for Foreign Companies: What It Requires First

After my ICP filing is approved, is there another filing with the public security bureau?

Yes. After your ICP filing (Bei'an) number issues, a separate registration with the public security bureau follows — the PSB filing. MIIT runs the ICP pipeline; public security handles its own registration afterward. The two are sequential, not interchangeable: the ICP filing number must issue before the PSB filing begins. Both Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud filing flows end the same way. The official portal is beian.mps.gov.cn, and it is Chinese-only.

Full answer: ICP Filing for Foreign Companies: Step-by-Step Timeline

Performance & hosting

Why is my global website slow in mainland China?

Cross-border latency and blocked scripts often cause 15–30+ second load times. Mainland CDN and hosting improve time-to-first-byte and reliability.

Full answer: Why Your Website Is Slow in China (and What Fixes It)

Do Google Maps, YouTube, and global APIs work in China?

No. Google Maps, YouTube, and many global APIs are blocked or unreliable in mainland China. Use Amap or Baidu Maps for maps, domestic video hosts for video, and WeChat Pay for payments. Each blocked dependency has its own replacement path — there is no single fix.

Full answer: Why Your Site Breaks in China: The Blocked-API Playbook

Can we keep our global website and only optimize for China?

Yes — many brands add a China path with CDN, localized pages, and replaced APIs without replacing the global site. Your global stack stays in place for international visitors.

Full answer: Why Your Website Is Slow in China (and What Fixes It) · Paths and trade-offs without a filing

Which cloud provider should a foreign company use in China?

We implement on both Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud, chosen per stack, compliance needs, and performance targets. There is no universal winner — the right provider depends on your entity structure, your application architecture, and where your China users are located.

Full answer: Alibaba Cloud vs Tencent Cloud for Foreign Companies: How to Choose

Is my site blocked in China or just slow?

Classify by symptom. Everything slow (15–30+ s) = transit problem — offshore origin, cross-border latency. Specific parts missing (blank tiles, dead players, timed-out fonts) = blocked dependency. Different failure modes, different fixes.

Full answer: How to Test Your Website from China Without Flying There

WeChat & payments

Do I need a WeChat Mini Program to sell in China?

Not always, but Mini Programs and WeChat Pay are often essential for discovery, sharing, and checkout inside WeChat. If your acquisition channel runs through WeChat, a Mini Program is the strongest vehicle.

Full answer: WeChat Mini Program vs H5 vs App: China Mobile Entry

Do WeChat Mini Programs need an ICP filing?

Yes. WeChat opened the platform filing entry on 2023-09-04. Publishing an unfiled Mini Program fails with error 86369. The legal basis is the Anti-Telecom Fraud Law Article 23 and the Internet Information Services Measures.

Full answer: Do WeChat Mini Programs Need an ICP Filing? 2023 Rule

Do we need a China entity and ICP filing?

Entity and ICP requirements apply for mainland-hosted checkout. Typically a WFOE holds the filing. Filing takes 2–4 weeks with complete documents. For the overseas direct path, Hong Kong entities — and, per one guide, UK entities — can apply without a mainland entity. The institution-partner path does not require a mainland entity. Planning the whole launch? Follow the China launch sequencing map: entity → filing → CDN → Mini Program → merchant onboarding.

Full answer: WeChat Pay for Foreign Companies: Acceptance Paths and Requirements

Do I need a Mini Program to accept WeChat Pay?

No. H5 pay works from a mobile web page and does not require a Mini Program build. Mini Program checkout is the D2C-native fit — the customer authenticates through WeChat and pays without leaving the app. The choice between the two is a vehicle decision, not a payment decision. See H5 pay.

Full answer: WeChat Pay for Foreign Companies: Acceptance Paths and Requirements

Can we start with H5 and add a Mini Program later?

Yes. Many brands run H5 as the broad-reach layer and add a Mini Program for the WeChat-native path. The hybrid approach lets the China site go live while entity and filing work progresses in parallel.

Full answer: WeChat Mini Program vs H5 vs App: China Mobile Entry

Data & privacy

Does PIPL apply to our site if it isn't hosted in China?

Yes — in defined conditions. Article 3 of the PIPL extends the law to processing outside the mainland when the purpose is offering products or services to persons in the mainland, or analyzing and assessing their behavior. Hosting location alone does not determine whether the law applies — an offshore-hosted site that targets mainland users can fall within scope.

Full answer: PIPL Compliance for Foreign Companies: What China's Data Law Requires Beyond the Filing

What does it take to move customer data out of mainland China?

PIPL Article 38 prescribes three mechanisms: a security assessment organized by the national cyberspace department, a standard contractual clause (SCC) filing with the provincial cyberspace department, or personal information protection certification by a professional institution. Which one applies depends on the processor's classification, the data type, and the volume transferred since January 1 of the current calendar year. Under the 2024 rules (CAC Order No.16), a non-CIIO processor that has cumulatively transferred personal information of fewer than 100,000 individuals (non-sensitive) since January 1 — with no sensitive or important data in the mix — is exempt from all three. The full threshold ladder and exemption tiers are on the cross-border data transfer page.

What counts as sensitive personal information under PIPL?

Article 28 of the PIPL enumerates six categories: biometric, religious-belief, specific-identity, medical-health, financial-account, and whereabouts-tracking information, plus personal information of minors under 14. Processing sensitive personal information requires the individual's separate consent under Article 29. When that data crosses the border, a lower security-assessment threshold applies — for non-CIIO processors, 10,000 sensitive individuals versus 1,000,000 non-sensitive (cross-border data transfer).

Does my company count as a critical information infrastructure operator (CIIO)?

The CII Security Protection Regulation (State Council Decree No. 745) defines critical information infrastructure in Article 2 across eight named sectors — public communication and information services, energy, transportation, water conservancy, finance, public services, electronic government affairs, and the national defense science-and-technology industry — plus others that meet the harm test. Your company does not self-declare CIIO status; sector regulators designate operators under Articles 8–10, and no public catalog of designated systems exists. CIIO designation triggers three obligations: mainland storage of personal information under PIPL Article 40, a mandatory security assessment for cross-border transfers, and important-data export routing through the Cybersecurity Law.