After breaking free from the "Euro-American centric" mindset, what aspects should companies focus on when going global? | Global Expansion Insights

The European and American markets, as the world's largest consumer markets, are the primary targets for 80% of Chinese enterprises going global. However, trade frictions and tariff fluctuations have made this path increasingly difficult. Globalization and multi - market layout have become necessary measures for enterprises to take.

In this context, how enterprises can find the adaptability in the changing environment - understanding global rules while being rooted in local markets, making good use of technological tools while adhering to compliance bottom lines - has become the key to "breaking the situation" and "entering the game". Recently, at the 2025 "From 'Ingenuity' to the 'World'" Overseas Expansion Conference jointly organized by 36Kr and Qiantang Construction Investment Group, we specially planned a round - table discussion on the transformation from "single - market dependence" to "global resilient layout". The core viewpoints are as follows:

Xiao Qijing, the Party Secretary of Holley Group: In the multi - market layout strategy, enterprises should break away from the "European and American - centered" thinking and pay attention to local and regional integration opportunities, such as the consumption potential and regional tariff advantages of ASEAN markets like Thailand.

Winston Mao, the representative of the large - customer team of Amazon Global Selling: Chinese sellers have achieved growth by expanding into markets such as Canada and Europe, showing strong resilience.

Zhang Fei, the General Manager of the New Business Development Department of Talent Solutions in LinkedIn China: In the initial stage of global talent layout, enterprises should be cautious. They should test the market first and then build a team to avoid the costs of hasty team - building.

Bu Rui, the partner of Fangda Law Firm's Beijing/Hong Kong office: AI technology, cloud service providers, and law firms complement each other in the application of digital technology, jointly contributing to efficiency improvement. However, technology cannot directly replace lawyers in solving complex compliance issues.

01 Breaking Single - Market Dependence and Building a Multi - Market Strategy

"In the early days, 80% of Chinese enterprises going global targeted the European and American markets. However, trade frictions and tariff fluctuations have made this path increasingly difficult. The frequent anti - dumping measures against industries such as photovoltaics and new energy are examples." Xiao Qijing said that the first step in global layout is to break the dependence on a single market and find growth points in diversified markets.

He shared the past experience of Holley Group: It started building factories overseas in 2000 and established three industrial parks in Thailand, Mexico, and Uzbekistan in 2005, and an agricultural park in Cambodia. He believes that enterprises need to break away from the "European and American - centered" thinking and pay attention to local market and regional integration opportunities. Take Thailand as an example. Its per capita GDP has increased from more than $2,800 in 2005 to an estimated $7,500 in 2025, continuously releasing local consumption potential. At the same time, the tariff exemption agreement within the ASEAN region has made the regional market a new growth pole. "While maintaining the existing markets, enterprises should deeply cultivate local and regional markets to build a multi - market pattern that can resist risks."

The multi - market logic mentioned by Xiao Qijing has been practiced in the cross - border e - commerce field. Winston Mao shared the transformation cases of Chinese sellers on the platform: "Among Amazon's 20 global sites, except for the United States, markets such as Canada, Europe, Japan, and Mexico have all grown rapidly. Many sellers who originally focused on North America have achieved triple - digit growth in the European market this year."

He particularly praised the resilience of Chinese sellers: "Even in the face of external uncertainties, Chinese enterprises can still maintain their competitiveness in the global market with their supply - chain advantages and local operations."

The expansion into multiple markets cannot be achieved without the support of global talents. When enterprises move from a single market to the global stage, upgrading the talent strategy becomes the key to the "last mile". Zhang Fei suggested that if an enterprise decides to enter multiple countries, it should build a talent pool in these countries in advance and establish a "global - unified" talent supply - chain system.

He divided the global talent layout of enterprises into three stages: In the initial stage, enterprises should adopt a cautious approach: "Enterprises should send their internal backbones to explore the market and test the market through channels such as Amazon to avoid the cost risks of hasty team - building."

After the market potential is verified, the talent layout enters the systematic building stage. The key at this step is not only to "find people" but also to "attract and retain people". The employer brand plays a decisive role behind this. He further explained that there is a fundamental difference between the employer brand and the commercial brand: "The commercial brand focuses on explicit values such as product quality and cost - effectiveness, while the employer brand focuses on deep - seated attractions such as the enterprise background, salary and benefits, promotion opportunities, and even the office environment."

When an enterprise enters the in - depth local - operation stage, cultural integration becomes a new issue in talent management. Zhang Fei shared a successful case: "This enterprise's business covers 14 regions and deeply understands the importance of 'using local people to manage local people'. They selected excellent local employees to be trained at the Chinese headquarters for three months, which enabled the talents to deeply understand the corporate culture and core technologies while retaining their insights into the local market. After returning, these talents became the management backbones connecting China and foreign countries, improving the operational efficiency of cross - cultural teams."

02 AI Digital Technology: Don't Overestimate in the Short Term, Don't Underestimate in the Long Term

In the global layout, digital technology is a powerful tool for improving efficiency, but it may also pose risks due to legal compliance omissions. How to find a balance between technological empowerment and compliance bottom lines is an inevitable issue for enterprises going global.

Bu Rui pointed out that the roles of AI, cloud service providers, and law firms are complementary: "When enterprises go global, they can use technologies such as AI and cloud services to quickly conduct market research, retrieve regulations, and obtain business resources. However, technology has its limitations - low compliance level and intellectual property risks. The legal department needs to establish a systematic prevention and control mechanism." He emphasized that lawyers' work will not be replaced by AI but will be liberated from basic tasks to focus more on solving complex problems.

Zhang Fei supplemented the boundaries of technology application from the platform perspective: "For senior recruiters, AI may only be an auxiliary tool, but for novices, AI can significantly improve efficiency." He believes that a rational attitude of "not overestimating in the short term and not underestimating in the long term" should be adopted towards the value of digital technologies such as AI. At the same time, he believes that the application of technology should adhere to the principle of fairness. "In recent years, Chinese AI technology has led in some function iterations overseas. However, in the future, more attention should be paid to compliance, privacy protection, and fairness issues in technology popularization. Data should not be concentrated in the hands of a few large companies, and technology should become an inclusive tool."

03 "Going Global in Groups" to Reduce Costs

When an enterprise's global layout enters the deep - water area, the importance of ecological collaboration becomes more prominent - whether it is the optimization of the operation mode or the establishment of the compliance system, it requires 'joint efforts' rather than 'going alone'.

Xiao Qijing shared the reflection on Chinese enterprises building factories overseas: "Many Chinese enterprises like to buy land and build their own factories, thinking that they can save 3 - 5% of the costs. However, this model is likely to turn the factory into a 'migratory factory' - once the tariff policy changes, the factory may be semi - abandoned, and the investment costs cannot be recovered." He suggested that except for heavy - asset industries such as steel mills, enterprises should give priority to renting standard factories: "Production can start in six months, which can quickly respond to the market and reduce risks."

Xiao Qijing also particularly emphasized the value of "going global in groups": "The improvement of intelligent manufacturing levels has reduced the overseas management difficulty of Chinese enterprises. Going global together with supply - chain partners can further reduce costs and improve efficiency."

This collaborative thinking also applies in the compliance field. Bu Rui explained: "The compliance requirements of enterprises going global involve multiple countries. We will classify them according to difficulty - the first level includes Europe and the United States, the second level includes Southeast Asia, and the third level includes friendly countries. Then, according to different types such as data compliance and export control, corresponding legal teams will be allocated. For example, data compliance may require local lawyers to take the lead, while cross - border mergers and acquisitions are more suitable for Chinese lawyers to lead."

This article is from the WeChat official account "Hangzhou Qiantang Enterprise Overseas Expansion Service Base". The author is Zhejiang Enterprises Going Global, and it is published with authorization from Qiantang.