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Do you really need to host a website in China when targeting Chinese users?

One question we are often asked is whether it is really needed to host a website in China when targeting visitors, clients or in general users from mainland China? The reply is yes and no. China is today the second largest economy in the world and many Western companies are involved with China in a way or another. Many are importing products from China, others have products that have a potential market in China. Some are even considering moving to China to establish a branch there. Most Fortune 500 companies have branches, factories or representative offices in China. For many…

Top 5 Web Hosting Companies in China with English Support

When it comes to hosting a website targeted to the Chinese audience, size is not everything. Finding a company that provides decent technical support and understands international clients requirements, and also has secure, powerful and well-maintained server infrastructure is essential. Below five companies that are clearly leading the rest of the pack when it comes to hosting international customers in the greater China region. 1. SinoHosting SinoHosting (www.sinohosting.net) is probably the most known among Chinese hosting companies providing English support. With offices in Shanghai and Shenzhen, SinoHosting hosts its customers on servers in mainland China (Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Jiangsu), Hong…

HostMacau, first cPanel host in Macau

We would all agree that Macau is more known for its casinos than being an IT hub. Things might start to change now with HostMacau.com, which provides cPanel hosting for companies and entrepreneurs in Macau. HostMacau.com is a brand of Cycom Hong Kong Limited , a web hosting group which owns 11 hosting brands accross the Asia Pacific  region. It is however the first time the company is offering shared hosting in Macau. Using the standard LAMP architecture, with cPanel control panel, Hostmacau targests businesses not only in Macau but in the greater China region, but also international companies targeting the…

Alternatives to .cn domain names

As we all know, the CNNIC, the .cn registry, has decided to make it impossible for non-Chinese nationals, or companies registered in China, to register for .cn domain names. What options are then available for foreign companies looking to build a website targeting the Chinese market? Below a couple of pretty decent alternatives. #1: .hk: as the traditional gateway to China, Hong Kong is still the primary hub through which foreign corporations enter the Chinese market. .hk domains can be registered by any individual or foreign corporation through the HKDNR/HKIRC affiliated registrars and partners. A second option is the .com.hk…

KowloonHosting, new host in Hong Kong

If you are looking for a host in Hong Kong/China you can take a look at www.kowloonhosting.com ; although relatively new, this company appears to be professional, and their offerings are definitely competitive as compared to what you can get from the usual competition. This is not a review as we have not got an account with them to test the service. We will however do a review later this year. KowloonHosting provides shared hosting (Linux only), reseller hosting (cPanel+WHM) and dedicated servers in Hong Kong.

Huge drop in .cn domain registrations

As expected, new .cn domain name registrations have seen a severe drop in recent months. Based on Hosterstats data, the registered base of .cn domain names has dropped by 4 millions  in the first four months of this year, to just about 8.25 millions by April 2010. Both the german (.de) and british (.uk) domain registries have now passed the .cn in terms of number of active registrations. Several factors explain this drop: -The new requirement to “verify ownership” of .cn domains as imposed by the CNNIC. Indeed, as we reported on our blog, .cn applicants need to fill a…

Want a .cn domain for your business in China? Think again

The recent crackdown on dot cn domain names in China calls for a further thinking as to the use of a .cn domain name for your China-related business or website in general. For a quick review, the CNNIC, the organization in charge of the administration of the .cn registry, issued a notice restricting Chinese domain names registration to registered businesses, with a pending period when the application should send back an application with their corporate seal on it (I am surprised they didn’t require the seal to be in red…), a copy of the business license (should be a photo…

Chinese domain name registration opened to individuals soon?

Latest rumors have it that the CNNIC might open again registration of Chinese domain names to individuals again. This is just one month after the agency announced that dot cn registration could be done only by companies in the future. We will post on this as soon as we get any confirmation or news.

Godaddy stops dot cn registration

As many other registrars, Godaddy has stopped accepting new registration for .cn domain names. But what is more worrying, is that they  “are working with our registry provider to determine the impact this change may have on relevant transfers and renewals”. If I were a .cn domain holder with Godaddy I would start to worry…

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