Market Entry Barriers for an International European B2B Company Targeting the Chinese Market

China’s rapid economic growth over the past four decades has propelled it to upper-middle-income status and second-largest economy globally. With its massive population and significant Gross Domestic Product (GDP), China presents immense opportunities for export-oriented European companies, making it a key market despite its complexities. Entering the Chinese market presents an excellent growth opportunity for internationally oriented European Business-to-Business (B2B) companies, particularly in sectors like power generation, oil and gas, and chemicals. However, understanding the specific entry barriers in the Chinese market from a European perspective, especially with regard to cultural differences, is crucial for successful market entry.

The goal of this master thesis is to derive recommended actions for an international European B2B company targeting the Chinese market by investigating existing Chinese market entry barriers, their role in the marketing concept, and how these barriers can be overcome. The objective is to derive managerial implications by pinpointing success factors and best practices for entering the Chinese market.

Expert interviews were chosen as the research method to answer the three research questions. As part of the qualitative-empirical research, semi-structured interviews with eleven experts were conducted in the period from March 21 until April 14, 2024. The respondents were selected for their expertise in the Chinese market and, in most cases, their role in marketing/sales. The interview transcripts were analyzed by applying Mayring’s structuring qualitative content analysis and using the computer-assisted qualitative data analysis software MAXQDA Analytics Pro 24.