As China’s cross-border e-commerce and general trade import market continue to expand, a growing number of emerging overseas brands and established international players are accelerating their presence on mainstream e-commerce channels such as Tmall, JD, and Douyin. During the brand qualification preparation stage, one question has become a frequent point of consultation for brand owners, cross-border operators, and compliance service providers: “Is a Chinese brand name required to be registered and used?”
For overseas brands entering domestic e-commerce platforms, there is no absolute legal obligation to hold a registered Chinese trademark. In practice, however, having an official Chinese name is virtually a prerequisite.
Whether a Chinese name is mandatory largely depends on the mode of entry:
• General Trade Mode (shipped from domestic warehouses): It is mandatory. When goods are sold within China’s customs territory, regulations such as the Product Quality Law and the Regulations on the Supervision and Administration of Cosmetics require a Chinese label printed in standard Chinese characters to be affixed to the packaging, and the product name must be in Chinese. If the brand has no official Chinese name, one must be temporarily created and filed for record; otherwise, customs clearance and product listing will be impossible.
• Cross-border Import Mode (bonded warehouse / direct mail from overseas): A registered Chinese trademark is not compulsory, but having an official Chinese name is strongly recommended. Such goods are regulated as personal-use items and are permitted to have no physical Chinese label (an electronic label must be provided instead). However, to facilitate search, display, and brand protection, e-commerce platforms (e.g., Tmall Global, JD Worldwide) typically require a corresponding Chinese name in their brand library for store naming and front-end display.
Beyond these regulatory requirements, several core reasons make a Chinese name indispensable for overseas brands.
1.Store Naming and Brand Library Entry Specifications
The backend brand libraries and search index systems of the three major platforms (Tmall, JD, Douyin) support both Chinese and English entries. A brand using only English can only fill in the English brand field; on the store frontend, in product titles, category filters, and dedicated brand zones, it cannot be properly included in the Chinese brand search pool.
Some platforms split the brand qualification section into two separate fields — “Chinese Brand Name” and “English Brand Name.” Even without a registered Chinese trademark, an official standard Chinese translated name must be manually entered, otherwise the system cannot complete the brand profile.
2.Platform Search Traffic Mechanisms Inherently Exclude Purely Foreign-Language Brands
Over 95% of domestic consumers use Chinese keywords to search for products. A purely English brand cannot be matched by Chinese search queries, reducing organic search traffic to virtually zero. Platform algorithms will not place a foreign-language-only brand into Chinese brand recommendation pools or promotional event recruitment pools.
3.Brand Library Admission and Major Promotion Recruitment Thresholds
Tmall Black Box, Douyin Brand Hall, self-operated invitations, and 618/Double 11 brand venues only include brands that have both an official Chinese name and a domestic trademark filing. Purely foreign-language brands cannot participate in the platform’s core traffic-driving activities; merely listing on the platform precludes any large-scale, performance-driven operations.
1.Limited English Recognition Among General Users
Average domestic consumers have limited ability to recognize English. Long foreign names are hard to remember and difficult to search, which easily leads to the spontaneous emergence of folk nicknames or parody translations. The brand thereby loses the right to define its own name.
2.Livestreaming, Short Video, and Social Media Dissemination
In livestreaming, short videos, influencer seeding, and social media content, hosts and bloggers must refer to the brand in Chinese. Without a unified official Chinese name, influencers will use varied, inconsistent names, causing brand mindshare to become completely fragmented.
China’s trademark registration operates on a first-to-file principle. If an overseas brand has only registered its foreign-language ® mark in its home country without proactively securing an official Chinese name, competitors or trademark squatters will preemptively register phonetic translations, literal translations, and other Chinese name variants across all relevant classes. Subsequently, if the brand wishes to use the Chinese name normally, it will have no choice but to buy it back at a high price, be forced to rebrand, or even be entirely shut out of the domestic market.
Domestic distributors, offline counters, supermarkets, and group-buying channels all recognize only the official Chinese brand name. A purely foreign-language brand without a Chinese identifier cannot establish offline channels or multi-channel distribution at all, and is confined to a single online cross-border channel.
For overseas brands entering Chinese e-commerce platforms, we recommend the following three-step approach to properly establish a Chinese name:
1.Initial Cross-border Store Entry: Decide on a single, fixed official Chinese translated name and fill it in completely in the platform’s backend. Display both Chinese and English brand names on product detail pages and packaging.
2.Simultaneously Implement Trademark Defense: File a trademark application for the Chinese translated name with the China Trademark Office, covering the corresponding Nice classes for the main products, to prevent squatting.
3.Plan for General Trade Transition and Domestic Flagship Store Launch: Once the domestic Chinese ® mark is granted, directly open a domestic flagship store. Unify the Chinese and English brand names across both storefronts to maintain a coherent and consistent brand system.
In summary, for all overseas brands committed to deepening their presence in the Chinese market, a Chinese brand name is by no means a matter of simple localization approach. It is the essential cornerstone for building long-term brand awareness, connecting the entire chain of omnichannel operations, and erecting solid barriers to protect market rights. Proactively planning Chinese brand naming system is critical to adapting to the domestic e-commerce regulatory framework and market environment, enabling a smooth transition from short-term market testing to sustained, large-scale expansion.
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