On 1 September, the Finland–China Business Association hosted a seminar on a risk area many Finnish companies overlook: data transfer and marketing compliance in China. The session featured Rixin Jiang, CEO and Co-founder of Nordic Friend Oy, a China-focused digital marketing agency operating in Helsinki and Shanghai, and Guoyu Chen, CIPP/A, Director and Co-founder of Onecompliance Consulting, a data and fintech compliance expert with 15+ years’ experience as a lawyer in China, now based in Singapore.

China’s data rules are stricter than they look

China’s data protection framework, often nicknamed “China’s GDPR,” gives regulators significant discretion, and enforcement has been increasing. A recent case involving Dior’s Shanghai branch showed how easily companies can fall foul of the rules: transferring customer data to headquarters without the right legal mechanisms and consent led to a public penalty, even after the company responded quickly to the leak.

Importantly, “cross-border data transfer” is defined broadly. It doesn’t just mean physically moving data abroad; using overseas cloud tools, remote access from headquarters, or even routine backups can count. Companies generally need to choose from a small number of approved legal pathways to move data out of China legally, and for many, the more practical route is to localize data and operations within China rather than routing everything back to headquarters.

Marketing materials carry hidden risks too

The second half of the session covered everyday compliance pitfalls in marketing: using fonts or creative assets without realizing local licensing terms differ from what applies elsewhere, publishing images or footage without proper consent, making advertising claims that aren’t allowed under Chinese advertising law, and touching on politically sensitive topics such as maps or borders. None of these are unique to China, but the consequences (legal complaints, fines, or reputational damage) can be significant if overlooked.

Key takeaway

Both speakers agreed: these risks are very manageable with some proactive planning, but far more costly to fix after the fact. A periodic review of how data flows and how marketing content is sourced and approved goes a long way.

The Finland–China Business Association thanks Rixin Jiang and Guoyu Chen for sharing their expertise. If you are interested in working together with Nordic Friend, please visit their website.

Photo by The Connected Narrative on Unsplash