There are two main market entry channels for exporting F&B products to China:

• General trade: This is the standard, traditional model based on importers, distributors and agents. Products sold in this way face no limitations in terms of sales channels (e.g. B2C, B2B, online and offline, etc.), but generally require the European manufacturer to register their products in advance with the Chinese competent authorities (see FAQ “What is the GACC/CIFER registration required for all food producers?”). This process may be more or less complicated, depending on the product; furthermore, for certain categories (e.g. meat, aquatic products, fruits and vegetables, etc.) there must be a government protocol in place between China and the country of origin, without which the product simply be exported to China.
• Cross-border e-commerce (CBEC): This is a specific model that China has created in the past years to facilitate international trade. Products sold in this way are seen as personal goods, and thus do not require costly and lengthy pre-market approval procedures. However, products sold via CBEC have limitations in terms of sales channels: only B2C is allowed, and the goods must be sold on specific Chinese platforms. CBEC is generally an interesting approach for those product categories which are complicated to be exported to China via general trade, specifically health food, dairy, aquatic products, etc.