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How Do You Set Up A Representative Office In China

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Representative Office in China

An increasing number of Western businesses are looking to establish operations in China in order to support their marketing efforts and get access to the Chinese market. A business can effectively market its services in China and draw customers by opening a representative office there.

Compared to foreign-invested corporations in China, it is simpler for international businesses to establish representative offices. As a result, China offers several chances for both new and current businesses to grow.

Companies who want to achieve that must pick the right legal framework for their operations in China. Each structure has benefits and drawbacks, so business owners and executives should carefully assess which best suits their aims and objectives.

What Is A Representative Office?

A representative office is a location set up by a business or other legal body to carry out marketing and other non-transactional tasks, typically abroad. Since they are not utilized for actual “business,” representative offices generally are easier to create than a branch or subsidiary (e.g., sales).

The organization that serves as the liaison between the Head Office and the Representative Offices abroad is the Representative Office. Foreign investors have made substantial use of them in developing nations like China, India, and Vietnam.

They are constrained since they cannot invoice locally for products or services. Foreign investors are frequently used in industries including product procurement, quality assurance, and liaison work.

Setting Up A Representative Office In China

Getting appropriate counsel is important for new business people because opening an office in China might be difficult.

The setup and registration procedure may begin once you’ve determined that a Rep Office is the best choice for your company.

Follow the steps given below to set up a Representative Office in China successfully —

1.    Get Approval

Choosing a name is the first step in creating an office in China. All kinds of businesses must adhere to tight regulations regarding company names.

Confirming that a suggested name is available and does not break any special letters or word regulations is important. The local AIC (Administration of Industry and Commerce) will review and approve this when filed.

2.    Rent Your Office Space

An acceptable leasing agreement must be supplied in order to apply for a representative office.

This has to be for at least a year, be in the city of registration, and be on a permitted commercial (non-residential) property. For a reasonable cost, FDI China may give this address for administrative needs!

3.    AIC Application

The local AIC receives the application form and the necessary supporting papers. A business registration certificate typically takes 2 weeks to be granted if everything is in order. The representative office is now operational and properly licensed.

4.    Carve Business Seals

As with every Chinese corporation, chops, or seals, are utilized for a representative office. These signify the top tier of business permission. The Public Security Bureau can provide the varied chops required in various locations (PSB).

5.    Local Tax Office Registration

Taxes, often computed as a percentage of total costs, must be paid starting on the registration day.

6.    Obtaining VISA Permits

The rep office chief representative and any other foreign employee must apply via the PSB and get visas (up to 4).

7.    Open A Bank Account In China

For daily business expenses, a straightforward Chinese RMB account is required. We can also file for a foreign exchange registration certificate if foreign currency is necessary.

Advantages Of A Representative Office In China

The quickest and easiest way for foreign companies to begin operations in China is through a Representative Office (commonly abbreviated as Rep Office or RO).

It permits foreign businesses to do market research or run operations in China but prohibits them from making a profit. A Rep Office may often be established in a shorter amount of time than a WFOE.

Your business may maintain an official presence in China by establishing a rep office there. This enables you to host employees here, have a location for meetings with clients and suppliers, and organize work.

Most international corporations may quickly and easily open a rep office because there is no requirement for registered capital.

A representative office is capable of controlling marketing and advertising inside China. As a result, it is possible to find new clients and providers. Facilitated technological and idea exchange with regional groups.

You can carry out Quality Control and other advisory and regulatory tasks relating to the parent company’s business operations in China.

Just make sure to keep an eye on the security of the project. Add a tool or two if you can, and don’t forget to consult with a cybersecurity expert too. Just to be sure, you know.

Know The Limitations

A rep office is a parent business’s subsidiary that functions more like an extension of the parent company than a distinct legal entity.

Since a rep office cannot engage in commerce, it is not regarded as a legitimate enterprise in China. In addition, a parent company’s address must be in a commercial building and have been in operation for at least two years.

Dipo Olowookere is a journalist based in Nigeria that has passion for reporting business news stories. At his leisure time, he watches football and supports 3SC of Ibadan. Mr Olowookere can be reached via [email protected]

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Economy

Xenergi in Talks to Acquire 51% Stake in Premier Paints

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Premier Paints Plc1

By Aduragbemi Omiyale

One of the paint makers in Nigeria, Premier Paints Plc, is currently in talks with a new investor, Xenergi Limited, for the purchase of 51 per cent stake in the company.

Xenergi Limited intends to acquire shares of Clover Global Resources Limited and TGHL Capital Limited in the organisation.

Business Post gathered that the new investor will buy 39.02 per cent from Clover Global Resources Limited and 15.20 per cent from TGHL Capital Limited.

The deal, according to a regulatory notice issued on Tuesday on the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited, will involve about 63 million shares of Premier Paints.

At the current share price of the paint producer, this should be about N630 million as it closed at N10.00 per unit on NGX on December 16, 2025.

“Subject to obtaining required regulatory approvals, the transaction is expected to close before January 31, 2026.

“The company will continue to inform the public of the progress of the transaction,” the disclosure signed by the company secretary, Alozie Nwokoro, said.

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Economy

Naira Trades Flat Across FX Market Windows as CBN Moves to Ease Pressure

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Naira-Denominated Assets

By Adedapo Adesanya

The Naira was flat against the US Dollar in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) on Tuesday, December 16, retaining the previous closing value of N1,451.82/$1.

In the same vein, the local currency saw no movement against the Pound Sterling and the Euro in the spot market during the session at N1,943.98/£1 and N1,705.74/€1, respectively.

Also, the Nigerian Naira remained unchanged in the black market yesterday at N1,475/$1 and was N1,460/$1 at the GTBank forex counter.

The Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has strengthened US Dollar supply with $250 million to authorised dealer banks at the official window cumulatively as foreign portfolio investors, exporters and non-bank corporate supply dripped.

The spread between official and other non-regulated markets decreased to N30.59$/1 from N44.57/$1, from the previous week, research subsidiary of Coronation Merchant Bank Limited said in a report.

FX analysts said foreign exchange inflows through the Nigerian Foreign Exchange Market decreased to $716.3 million from $844.70 million in the previous week , a 15 per cent drop in a week.

Foreign portfolio investors accounted for the highest share of inflows at 32.98 per cent, followed by exporters at 30.84 per cent, the CBN (17.36 per cent), Non-bank Corporates (16.94 per cent), others (0.72 per cent) and Individuals (0.63 per cent).

On Monday, Nigeria’s headline inflation rate eased to 14.45 per cent in November 2025, down from 16.05 per cent recorded in October, according to the latest Consumer Price Index (CPI) report released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), representing a decrease of 1.6 percentage points month-on-month and marks a significant moderation compared to the same period last year.

As for the cryptocurrency market, there was some recoveries after overall capitalization falling below $3 trillion for the third time in a month. Large-cap assets, particularly those with Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) exposure, are experiencing selling pressure as institutional investors reassess risk.

Ripple (XRP) appreciated by 1.5 per cent to $1.92, Litecoin (LTC) expanded by 1.5 per cent to $78.91, Dogecoin (DOGE) rose by 0.8 per cent to $0.1308, Solana (SOL) went up by 0.4 per cent to $127.60, Binance Coin (BNB) grew by 0.3 per cent to $865.40, and Bitcoin (BTC) gained 0.2 per cent to sell at $86,735.17.

On the flip side, Cardano (ADA) depreciated by 1.0 per cent to $0.3802 and Ethereum (ETH) slumped by 0.4 per cent to $2,935.85, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) were flat at $1.00 each.

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Economy

Stock Investors’ Portfolios Swell N14bn as Index Rises 0.01%

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stock investors' portfolios

By Dipo Olowookere

A marginal 0.01 per cent rise was recorded by the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited on Tuesday. This was different from the flattish mode of the market the previous day.

Investor sentiment remained bullish as Customs Street finished with 31 price gainers and 26 price losers, implying a positive market breadth index.

Aluminium Extrusion topped the gainers’ log after it improved its price by 10.00 per cent to N9.35, Guinness Nigeria appreciated by 9.98 per cent to N263.40, Multiverse expanded by 9.95 per cent to N12.15, MeCure Industries also soared by 9.95 per cent to N45.85, and Sovereign Trust Insurance advanced by 9.89 per cent to N4.11.

Conversely, Haldane McCall led the losers’ chart after it shed 9.93 per cent to settle at N3.72, Veritas Kapital lost 9.09 per cent to close at N1.60, LivingTrust Mortgage Bank also declined by 9.09 per cent to N3.50, and Linkage Assurance depreciated by 5.71 per cent to N1.65.

During the trading day, the All-Share Index (ASI) went up by 21.23 points to 149,459.11 points from the previous day’s 149,437.88 points and the market capitalisation increased by N14 billion to N95.281 trillion from N95.267 trillion.

Yesterday, traders transacted 1.0 billion equities for N21.8 billion in 23,701 deals compared with the 553.1 million equities valued at N13.3 billion traded in 28,907 deals on Monday, representing a decline in the number of deals by 18.01 per cent, and a surge in the trading volume and value by 80.80 per cent and 63.91 per cent apiece.

Access Holdings traded 385.8 million stocks worth N7.7 billion, Champion Breweries transacted 111.8 million shares valued at N817.8 million, Sterling Holdings exchanged 85.5 million equities for N589.9 million, FCMB sold 74.7 million shares valued at N791.5 million, and First Holdco transacted 51.9 million equities worth N1.8 billion.

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