Blog – Doing Business in Hong Kong, China & Singapore

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Doing business in Hong Kong, China & Singapore – guides from people who’ve done it

These are the questions founders bring us every week – how to register the company, where to open the account, what taxes look like, how to move the money. We write the answers the way we explain them on calls.

Roman Verzin, Founder of USG
Written by Roman Verzin Founder & CEO · Trading and consulting businesses in Hong Kong, China and Singapore.

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Hong Kong Registration, banking, taxes and the annual cycle China Company setup, taxes, banking and moving profits out Strategy Deciding what to open – and whether you need a company at all

New on the blog

The latest guide

Every new guide lands here first, then moves into its section below.

China · Access

Getting a meeting in China

A ministry, a state-owned enterprise or Alibaba will not answer a cold email – the request never survives the internal approval. Who introduces you decides whether the meeting happens.

Roman Verzin · 10 min read

Read the guide →

Inside the guide

  • Two routes into government bodies and state-owned enterprises
  • Why a visit to Alibaba cannot be booked on request
  • What industry associations organise – usually free of charge
  • The mistakes that cost most, before anyone boards a plane

New here?

Start with these three

Read in order – they follow the path most founders take, from picking the base to deciding whether China itself comes next.

1

Why global founders choose Hong Kong

The complete case for Hong Kong as a base for international business – written for founders who keep hearing no elsewhere.

Hong Kong · 9 min read 2

Banking and corporate accounts in Hong Kong

What it takes to open a corporate account in Hong Kong – and why so many first applications fail.

Hong Kong · 10 min read 3

Do you really need a Chinese company?

Most trading businesses below $2 million a month in turnover do not. The cases where a Chinese company earns its cost – and where Hong Kong does the same job.

Strategy · 11 min read

Hong Kong

The Hong Kong series

The full path – from deciding whether Hong Kong fits your business to closing a company down properly.

Overview

Why global founders choose Hong Kong

The complete case for Hong Kong as a base for international business – written for founders who keep hearing no elsewhere.

9 min read Fit

Who should open a company in Hong Kong

An honest filter: the businesses Hong Kong serves well, and the ones that should look at other jurisdictions first.

9 min read Registration

How to register a company in Hong Kong

Each step from name check to live company – including the parts that matter later, when a bank reads your file.

10 min read Banking

Banking and corporate accounts in Hong Kong

What it takes to open a corporate account in Hong Kong – and why so many first applications fail.

10 min read Banking

Hong Kong banking compliance

Why banks review accounts they already opened – and how to run yours so it lives a quiet life.

11 min read Tax

The Hong Kong tax system

What your Hong Kong company will pay – the two-tier profits tax, explained with the rules founders most often misread.

11 min read Accounting

Bookkeeping and accounting in Hong Kong

Every Hong Kong company gets audited – what that requires from your books, and when each filing is due.

10 min read Exit

How to close a company in Hong Kong

How to shut a company down properly, so a company you no longer use does not keep costing you money.

10 min read

China

The China guides

The mainland China set – from getting a meeting at all, through the company, taxes, banking and hiring, to moving profits out.

Setup

China company setup – the full guide

Entity types, licensing, key roles and the substance a WFOE really needs – the whole setup in one place.

14 min read Tax

China taxes for foreign-owned companies

VAT, the export refund, corporate income tax and reporting – the full annual picture for a foreign-owned company.

12 min read Banking

Business banking in China

Account types and currency controls – how money legally moves in and out of a Chinese company.

11 min read People

Hiring foreigners in China

Work permits, payroll, tax and social insurance – what hiring a foreign employee in China involves.

10 min read Profit transfer

How to legally transfer profits from China

Four legal methods to move profits out – and the four illegal shortcuts that end with a frozen account.

11 min read China · Access

Getting a meeting in China

Cold outreach dies in approval chains – how introductions, not emails, get foreign companies into the room.

10 min read

Strategy

Strategy & industry insights

Step back from the paperwork – the strategic calls behind a setup, and how the business runs on the ground.

Marketplaces

Selling on Mercado Libre with a Hong Kong company

The cross-border program accepts companies from three places only – what it takes to get in, and how the business runs day to day.

10 min read Mistakes

5 costly mistakes founders make when registering abroad

The same five mistakes, made by founders from very different countries – and what each one costs to undo.

11 min read Decision

Do you really need a Chinese company?

Most trading businesses below $2 million a month in turnover do not. The cases where a Chinese company earns its cost – and where Hong Kong does the same job.

11 min read Import

How to import from China and sell in MENA

The full operational chain – product, suppliers, Incoterms, logistics, customs, and the margin math, step by step.

9 min read

Not here to read?

Have a specific problem right now?

Guides help you plan ahead. If something is already broken, these pages deal with the situation directly.

Bank account rejected

The application came back with a no – or with silence.

What to do →

International payments stuck

A transfer is under review, or already returned.

What to do →

Account frozen or closed

The bank froze the account, or announced it will close it.

What to do →

Comparing jurisdictions

Hong Kong, China or Singapore – the comparison guides.

Compare →
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Reading only takes you so far. Thirty minutes on a call, and we can tell you which structure fits your business and what it takes to run.

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