Helping Chinese Companies Go Global: Insights from Pingwen Hu

Mrs Pingwen Hu is the Managing Partner and a founding member of ECOVIS Ruide China. With over 30 years of experience and exceptional professional expertise, she is widely recognised in the fields of international accounting, auditing and consulting. As a member of both the ECOVIS International Quality and Development Board and the ECOVIS International Supervisory Board, Pingwen plays a key role in the firm’s global business operations, particularly its presence across the Asia Pacific region.

Under her leadership, ECOVIS Ruide China provides tailor-made advisory services to multinational companies across audit, tax, accounting, investment and business consulting. She specialises in helping international companies establish a foothold in the Chinese market, guiding her team in providing seamless end-to-end support—from company establishment to tax planning, auditing and consulting. Her expertise ensures businesses navigate the complexities of cross-border operations with stability and confidence.

Pingwen understands that compliance and tax planning are key challenges for multinationals entering new markets. Therefore, she leads her team in conducting in-depth research on Chinese and international tax laws, providing clients with accurate tax advice and compliance support, and helping companies reduce operational risks.

What are Pingwen’s thoughts on the growing trend of Chinese companies expanding globally in recent years? She explains:

 “Chinese companies going global has become a powerful trend, strongly supported by the Chinese government. In the past, we at ECOVIS Ruide primarily focused on inbound business. However, in recent years, we have witnessed the difficulties that some Chinese companies encounter when expanding overseas, for example:

• Companies may have a comprehensive development strategy, but they lack an integrated understanding of finance and law, leading to significant fines and penalties.
• The inability to unify domestic and international financial statements results in a lack of robust internal controls within the company.
• How do overseas expatriate employees pay their personal income tax, and how can social security and tax issues be maintained in relation to their domestic contracts?

As a professional CPA firm with over 20 years of experience, we are well aware of our mission to help more Chinese companies successfully enter the international market. We have formed a dedicated service team, drawing on our ECOVIS international platform, which is also one of our greatest strengths, to specifically support the implementation of overseas layouts for Chinese companies.”

When asked about the part of her job she enjoys the most, Mrs. Pingwen HU replied, “Being able to fully support the international development of our clients and help them succeed in the global marketplace is the greatest source of satisfaction for me. At the same time, the diversity of working with international clients constantly exposes my team and me to new challenges and opportunities, which is the charm of our work.”