China Desk
A trusted on-the-ground presence in Shanghai for investors, operators, and executives who need China visibility without building a local team.
A seat at the China table — without opening an entity.
The China Desk is the simplest form of the Sinomark platform. Your company gets a senior, Shanghai-based operator who represents you locally: takes meetings on your behalf, delivers structured briefings, monitors the situations you care about, and gives you a candid read on what is actually changing in China.
Clients use the Desk because sending leadership back and forth doesn't scale — and because a monthly retainer with a senior operator is cheaper, faster, and more accountable than standing up a WFOE for representation work.
Built for decision-makers who need quiet, reliable eyes in China.
The Desk fits investors monitoring portfolio companies or supply chains across mainland China; operators whose product or revenue depends on Chinese counterparts but who can't justify a full local team; and executives preparing to move a business, partnership, or investment thesis into the market.
It does not fit companies looking for one-off market reports or cheap deal-brokering. The work is ongoing, senior, and discreet.
What the Desk does, month over month.
Three capability areas, delivered as a single ongoing engagement — not a menu of line items.
Local Representation
We represent you on the ground — in meetings, at events, in relationship-maintenance calls that would otherwise require a flight.
- Attend meetings on your behalf
- Maintain key local relationships
- Handle language and cultural translation
- Travel across regions as needed
Executive Briefings
Monthly written briefings and on-demand calls — summarizing what's changed, what's at risk, and what requires a leadership decision.
- Written monthly briefing
- On-demand analyst calls
- Issue-specific deep dives
- Board-ready summaries on request
Market Navigation
The operational layer that sits underneath — introductions, diligence, regulatory awareness, and pattern-matching across what other foreign companies in China are seeing.
- Targeted introductions
- Light-touch diligence
- Regulatory and policy read
- Benchmarking against peer activity
Four scenarios where the Desk pays for itself.
PE / VC portfolio oversight
You hold positions in companies with Chinese operations, supply chains, or customers — and you need a non-executive set of eyes checking on them monthly.
Board-level China read
Your board wants an independent read on China exposure — tariffs, counterparties, regulatory shifts — that isn't filtered through the operating team.
Pre-investment diligence support
You're evaluating an acquisition, JV, or expansion in China and need a senior local resource to stress-test what the deal team is hearing.
Early China relationships, no local team
You have a handful of Chinese partners, customers, or suppliers — enough that they need managing, not enough to justify hiring locally.
What a month on the Desk actually looks like.
- Standing weekly call with your team covering active situations and decisions needed
- Written monthly briefing — what changed, what's at risk, what requires action
- Quarterly on-the-ground review — either in person in China or with your team at home.
- Ad-hoc access for urgent questions — typically answered within one business day in China
- A shared written record so your team always has context, not just the last email thread
Clear retainer. No hidden margin.
Monthly retainer
The China Desk is a monthly retainer engagement — scoped up front, invoiced monthly, cancellable quarter to quarter. The retainer level depends on the volume and seniority of the work you need.
After the initial briefing, we propose a specific monthly number and the exact scope it covers. You know what you're paying for, before you sign.
- Scoped up frontNo open-ended strategic work or surprise upcharges.
- No factory- or counterparty-side feesWe earn only from you. Ever.
- Quarterly commitment, then month-to-monthInitial term long enough to do real work — then continuous, no lock-ins.
- Travel and out-of-pocket passthroughBilled at cost, documented.
Common questions
How is the Desk different from hiring a consultant in China?
Can we use the Desk alongside a Launchpad or Sourcing engagement?
Will the Desk represent us in sensitive situations?
Is there a minimum company size?
One platform, three ways to engage.
Ready to talk through what a China Desk would cover?
Request a private briefing. A 30-minute working call — no deck, no obligation. We'll scope it honestly or tell you if the fit isn't there.