China vs France

Foreign-invested companies in China (commonly a WFOE or joint venture) register with the State Administration for Market Regulation (SAMR) and obtain a unified business license. Setup involves name approval, registered capital, a business scope and post-registration tax and bank steps.

Companies in France (commonly a SARL or SAS) are registered through the single online business-formalities portal, which files with the national business register (RNE) and issues a SIREN number. Steps include drafting statutes, depositing capital and publishing a legal notice.

China's banking is dominated by large state banks and is highly digital (Alipay and WeChat Pay are used almost everywhere). Foreigners can open accounts with a passport and often proof of local ties; a Chinese phone number is usually needed for mobile payments. The People's Bank of China is the central bank.

France's banking includes large retail banks and growing online banks. Opening an account usually needs ID, proof of address and a residence status; a French account is often required for rent and utilities. The Banque de France oversees the system.

Foreign investment in China is governed by the Foreign Investment Law and a 'negative list' that limits or bars certain sectors; outside the list, foreign investors get national treatment. You set up a WFOE or joint venture, register with the authorities, and manage capital and profit repatriation under SAFE foreign-exchange rules; free-trade zones offer openings.

France courts foreign investment through Business France and the 'Choose France' initiative, with free movement of capital. Investments in sensitive sectors need prior authorization under the foreign-investment control regime (run by the Treasury); incentives include the research tax credit (CIR) and regional aid.

China's main taxes are Individual Income Tax (IIT), Corporate Income Tax and VAT, administered by the State Taxation Administration. Tax residents (generally 183+ days) are taxed on worldwide income, with a six-year rule easing this for some foreigners.

France taxes personal income progressively with pay-as-you-earn withholding, adds social levies, and applies VAT (TVA) to most goods and services; corporate tax applies to companies. Tax residents are taxed on worldwide income.

Foreigners generally work in China on a Z visa, obtained after securing a job and a work-permit notification, then converted to a work-type residence permit after arrival. The employer and local foreigner-work authorities drive the process; there is no general work visa without an employer.

Non-EU nationals generally need a work authorisation and a long-stay visa or residence permit to work in France; the 'Talent Passport' covers skilled workers, founders and researchers. EU/EEA citizens work freely. The process involves the employer, labour authorities and French consulates.

Study in China uses the X1 visa for programmes longer than 180 days and the X2 visa for 180 days or fewer. The university issues an Admission Notice and a JW202 form (JW201 for Chinese-Government-Scholarship students), which you submit with the visa application. The critical step after arriving on an X1: you must convert it into a residence permit within 30 days. A Foreigner Physical Examination Record and proof of funds are commonly required.

Non-EU students staying longer than three months need a long-stay study visa, usually the VLS-TS "étudiant". Its defining feature: once you validate it online within three months of arrival, it doubles as your residence permit — no separate permit application. In many countries the process runs through Campus France's "Études en France" procedure before the consular step. It allows part-time work and Schengen travel.

Tourism in China normally uses the L (tourist) visa, applied for before travel through a Chinese visa application service centre. China has also expanded visa-free options — unilateral visa-free entry for a growing list of nationalities (up to 30 days as of 2026) and visa-free transit at designated ports. Visa-free entry covers tourism and business only, never work; confirm current eligibility with the National Immigration Administration.

France is in the Schengen Area, so short tourist or business visits follow Schengen rules: up to 90 days within any 180-day period across the whole area. Visa-exempt nationals can visit without a visa; everyone else applies for a short-stay (type C) Schengen visa through the official France-Visas portal. A new ETIAS authorisation is being introduced for visa-exempt travellers — check the current requirement.

China's permanent residence ('green card') is hard to obtain and granted mainly to high-level talent, significant investors, and close family of Chinese citizens or permanent residents. The National Immigration Administration handles applications.

France's long-term residence is the carte de résident, typically a 10-year renewable card available after several years of legal residence (or immediately for some family of French citizens). The multi-year Talent Passport is a common step toward it.

Chinese nationality is difficult to acquire by naturalization and generally requires close family ties to Chinese nationals or long settled residence, subject to approval. China does not recognize dual nationality.

French citizenship by naturalization generally requires five years' residence (reduced in some cases), integration, French language ability and stable resources. France allows dual citizenship, and marriage to a French citizen is a separate route.

Chinese employment requires a written labour contract within a month of starting; local minimum wages apply, the standard week is 40 hours with capped overtime, and statutory paid annual leave runs 5-15 days by total service. Employers must pay the 'five insurances and one housing fund'; disputes go to labour arbitration before the courts.

French employment is highly regulated by the Code du travail: a 35-hour legal working week, the SMIC minimum wage, five weeks' paid leave, and structured dismissal rules. Most jobs are permanent (CDI); employee representatives (CSE) and collective agreements apply, and disputes go to the labour court (conseil de prud'hommes).

Chinese trade clears through China Customs (GACC). You record-file as a consignee/consignor, then declare via the China International Trade Single Window. Goods are classified by HS code for import duty plus import VAT (usually 13%) and, for some products, consumption tax. Controlled goods need MOFCOM licences; advance rulings give certainty.

French trade with non-EU countries goes through French customs (la Douane) with an EU EORI number. You classify goods in TARIC to find duty, and import VAT (20%) is now self-assessed on your VAT return. Declarations are electronic via DELTA; intra-EU flows need statistical (EMEBI/DEB) reporting and dual-use exports need a licence.

Chinese trademarks are registered with the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA). China is strictly first-to-file, so registering early is essential. You search the register, file under the Chinese sub-class system, and after examination the mark publishes for a three-month opposition period. A Chinese trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable.

French trademarks are registered with the National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI). You search the register, file an application classifying goods/services under Nice, and it publishes in the BOPI for a two-month opposition period before registration. A French trademark lasts 10 years and is renewable; an EU-wide alternative is the EU trademark via EUIPO.

Public employment services in China are overseen by MOHRSS, which runs a national online job platform alongside local public employment service centres, while commercial platforms are widely used too. For foreign nationals the requirement is two documents rather than one: a Foreigner's Work Permit and a work-type residence permit. The work permits are also tiered A, B and C according to qualifications and salary, so which tier you fall into shapes what is open to you.

France Travail is the public employment service and official job board — it was formerly Pôle emploi, so guidance still using the old name is dated. Non-EU workers generally need a work authorisation tied to a residence permit, such as salarié or passeport talent, which means the permit and the job are linked rather than separate matters. Certain shortage occupations, the métiers en tension, can have streamlined hiring, and Service-Public sets out the rules.

China has NO national minimum wage at all. Each of the 31 provinces and municipalities sets its own, and many run several local tiers within a single province — so the rate depends not just on which province you are in but on which tier your city or district falls into. MOHRSS issues guidelines while provincial governments set and update the actual rates, meaning the figure you need is always a local one. Pay is quoted gross, with individual income tax and social-insurance contributions reducing take-home.

France has a single national minimum wage, the SMIC, which applies across the country. Its distinguishing feature is the revaluation rule: it is revalued at least once a year and can rise mid-year if inflation triggers it — so unlike floors that move on a fixed annual date, a French figure can go out of date between scheduled updates. INSEE is authoritative for SMIC and average-wage statistics, while Service-Public explains the rules. Pay is quoted brut, with social contributions and income tax reducing net.

China's main scholarship is the Chinese Government Scholarship (CGS), administered by the China Scholarship Council (CSC), covering tuition, accommodation and a stipend; there are also provincial scholarships (such as Shanghai's), Confucius Institute (Chinese language) scholarships and university awards. Explore options on the CSC / Campus China site and apply by the deadline.

France's flagship scholarship for international students is the Eiffel Excellence Scholarship (France Excellence Eiffel), funded by the Foreign Ministry for master's and PhD, alongside university and regional awards. Campus France is the official portal to explore funding and apply to study in France. Apply by each scheme's deadline, which is often well before the course starts.

To study in China you apply through the CSC (for scholarships) or directly to a university; on admission you receive an admission notice and a JW201 (government-scholarship) or JW202 (self-funded) form. With these you apply for an X1 visa (studies over 180 days) or X2 (up to 180 days), then convert the X1 to a residence permit within 30 days of arrival.

To study in France, students from many countries apply through the 'Études en France' procedure (via Campus France), then, once admitted, apply for a VLS-TS long-stay student visa, which you validate online within three months of arrival. Public university fees are low, though some are higher for non-EU students. Explore options on Campus France and apply by the deadline.

In China, foreigners can generally buy just one residential property for self-use, and usually only after studying or working in the country for at least a year (city rules vary and some cities are stricter). Ownership is a land-use right (commonly 70 years for residential), not freehold. Renters should complete temporary-residence registration with the police; purchases are registered at the local real-estate registry with deed tax.

France places no restriction on foreigners buying property. Renting is tenant-protective (the 1989 law): the deposit (dépôt de garantie) is capped at one month's rent for unfurnished homes (two for furnished), and agency fees are regulated. Buying goes through a notaire, is registered at the land registry (publicité foncière), and carries 'frais de notaire' of roughly 7–8% (mostly transfer duties).

China's basic medical insurance, overseen by the National Healthcare Security Administration, covers around 95% of the population through two schemes: employee basic medical insurance and resident basic medical insurance. Foreigners working in China can usually join the employee scheme; rules for other foreign residents vary by city. The practical catch is local variation — reimbursement levels, drug lists and designated hospitals differ by locality, and private cover is common for international hospitals.

France's Assurance Maladie covers anyone working or residing in France on a stable, regular basis through the Protection Universelle Maladie (PUMa). The model is reimbursement rather than free-at-point-of-use: the scheme repays a large share of costs and most people take a complementary "mutuelle" to cover the remainder. You manage cover, reimbursements and your carte Vitale through an Ameli account.

China's social insurance is usually called "five insurances and one fund" (五险一金): pension, medical, unemployment, work-injury and maternity insurance, plus the Housing Provident Fund — note that the last is a savings fund rather than an insurance. It is administered through MOHRSS and local bureaus, and foreigners in formal employment generally participate. Motor third-party liability insurance (jiaoqiang) is compulsory for vehicles, and commercial insurers are regulated by the National Financial Regulatory Administration.

France's Sécurité sociale provides social insurance covering health, family, pensions and work accidents, with contributions collected largely through URSSAF. The detail that catches renters out is that France has two compulsory private insurances, not one: motor third-party liability, and home insurance for tenants. A complementary health mutuelle is widely held to top up Assurance Maladie, and insurers are supervised by the ACPR, part of the Banque de France.