MARKET SUMMARY CHINA 1. Data snapshot. Business and economic growth. Rank Rank Rank Survey average

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1 1 THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY MARKET SUMMARY: CHINA MARKET SUMMARY CHINA 1 Data snapshot Business and economic growth 90% Small businesses that expect their business to grow - China against 90% Chinese small businesses that expect their business to grow against small business growth expectations for China's economy 70% 70% 50% 50% 30% Survey China 30% Expect local economy to grow Expect their business to grow Businesses that grew in last % 66.7% 3/8 77.4% 3/8 65.3% 2/8 Businesses that expect to grow in next 12 Businesses that expect the local economy to grow in next % 70.2% 3/8 76.8% 3/8 65.7% 3/8 69.3% 60.2% 3/8 71.2% 3/8 71.2% 3/8 1 All data for China excludes Hong Kong, which is shown separately.

2 2 THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY MARKET SUMMARY: CHINA Business activity over the past 12 Increased employee numbers 38.8% 31.7% 3/8 43.1% 3/8 38.0% 4/8 Improved business management had a major positive impact on their business Increasing costs had a major negative impact on their business 32.2% 22.8% 2/8 33.1% 3/8 N/A N/A 36.2% 36.1% 5/8 38.9% 4/8 N/A N/A Required funds from an external source 80.7% 59.3% 3/8 79.3% 3/8 85.8% 2/8 Sought external funds for business growth 66.5% 58.5% 2/8 62.4% 3/8 74.9% 1/8 Found it easy or very easy to access external finance Rent was the most detrimental factor impacting their business 40.3% 31.5% 3/8 59.3% 2/8 33.4% 4/8 42.8% 33.4% 2/8 40.0% 3/8 57.3% 2/8 Planned business activity over the next 12 Expect to increase employee numbers 49.4% 40.5% 3/8 55.2% 3/8 53.1% 3/8 Definitely expect to introduce a new product, service or process unique to their market or the world Expect to grow their e-commerce presence to a large extent Expect revenue from overseas markets to grow strongly Expect to grow their investment in assets strongly 28.5% 21.2% 3/8 31.6% 2/8 N/A N/A 34.6% 33.7% 5/8 36.4% 3/8 N/A N/A 16.6% 15.9% 4/8 15.7% 6/8 N/A N/A 21.7% 21.2% 4/8 21.6% 5/8 N/A N/A Expect to increase their focus on training 46.1% 37.2% 3/8 N/A N/A N/A N/A Definitely will seek external funds 37.0% 26.5% 3/ /8 51.6% 1/8 Expect easy to very easy access to finance 42.7% 29.0% 1/8 55.2% 2/8 33.9% 5/8 Social media, e-commerce and technology Earned revenue from online sales 91.5% 69.4% 1/8 90.1% 2/8 90.8% 2/8 Used social media for business purposes 96.0% 79.7% 1/8 97.2% 1/8 96.1% 3/8 Business internet connection is fast enough for their needs 40.1% 46.2% 6/8 N/A N/A N/A N/A

3 3 THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY MARKET SUMMARY: CHINA Demographics Business is 10 years old or younger 68.6% 64.3% 5/8 69.9% 4/8 80.1% 2/8 Respondent is aged 39 or younger 60.0% 50.5% 4/8 59.5% 5/8 67.9% 2/8 Key figures by city (excluding Hong Kong) Beijing Chongqing Guangzhou Shanghai China Businesses that grew in the last % 70.6% 79.9% 72.4% 74.1% Businesses that expect to grow in the next 12 Businesses that expect the local economy to grow in the next 12 Increased employee numbers over the past % 75.2% 81.8% 76.9% 77.3% 63.9% 72.5% 73.3% 67.3% 69.3% 44.9% 41.8% 31.2% 37.2% 38.8% Plan to increase employee numbers over the next % 45.8% 44.8% 51.3% 49.4% Required external funds over the past % 91.5% 77.9% 81.4% 80.7% Banks were the main source of external funds 34.2% 26.4% 40.0% 30.7% 32.5% Business growth was the main reason for seeking external finance Expect to grow their e-commerce presence to a large extent in the next 12 Expect revenue from overseas markets to grow strongly over the next 12 Definitely expect to introduce a new product, service or process unique to their market or the world 57.9% 69.3% 70.8% 66.9% 66.5% 32.3% 40.5% 33.1% 32.7% 34.6% 17.1% 17.0% 18.8% 13.5% 16.6% 24.7% 35.3% 24.0% 30.1% 28.5% Used social media for business purposes 96.2% 96.7% 95.5% 95.5% 96.0% More than 30% of a business s revenue comes from online sales Business internet connection is fast enough for their needs 31.0% 22.2% 21.4% 22.4% 24.3% 29.1% 43.1% 51.3% 37.2% 40.1% Staff costs were most detrimental to the business 64.6% 53.6% 51.3% 53.8% 55.9% Respondent aged 39 or under 63.3% 47.7% 59.0% 69.8% 60.0%

4 4 THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY MARKET SUMMARY: CHINA Summary Small business conditions were positive in Mainland China in with nearly three quarters of respondents stating their business grew in and this positive outlook looks set to continue in 2017 with slightly more businesses expecting to grow; despite an uncertain global economic outlook. As in the last, Mainland China had one of the highest percentage of small businesses that grew in, with 74 per cent stating they grew significantly higher than Australia. This strong result is likely to continue in 2017, with Mainland Chinese small businesses being one of the most optimistic in their growth prospects of the markets ed again significantly higher than Australia. Small business confidence in the growth prospects for Mainland China s economy in 2017 is also strong, particularly in comparison to results from Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong and Malaysia. However, like many of the other markets ed, economic confidence is down slightly from the last. Reflecting the high number of Mainland Chinese small businesses experiencing growth and high levels of business confidence in China s economy, nearly two in five (39 per cent) of respondents from Mainland China stated that they added staff in. Mainland Chinese small businesses are likely to continue to be creators of jobs in 2017 with a very healthy 49 per cent expecting to add additional staff members. Small businesses from Mainland China continue to be leaders in using technology in their business. Of the eight markets ed, they were the most likely to have earned revenue from online sales and the most likely to be using social media for business purposes. In fact, the percentage of Mainland Chinese small businesses making online sales and using social media is so high that it would be difficult to find businesses that are not. And Mainland Chinese businesses are not just dabbling in online sales, with over 80 per cent of respondents earning 11 per cent or more of their revenue from that channel. Small businesses from Mainland China continue to have a strong focus on innovation through planned or expected investments in totally new products, processes or services to China or the world. This innovative culture will support long-term growth and help to improve the competitiveness of China s businesses, both domestically and globally. It is most likely that this strong focus on innovation is driven in part by the Chinese government s focus on promoting innovation With significant numbers of Mainland Chinese small businesses having the characteristics the shows are strongly connected with growth, the future of China s small business sector is very positive. With many Chinese small businesses having a focus on innovation, e-commerce and training, we are likely to see an increasing number of China s small businesses evolving to become large, successful global businesses in the next few years. Of course, small businesses from Mainland China, like all the other markets face a number of challenges with increasing costs, increasing rent and increasing competition being the top three issues Mainland Chinese small businesses are most likely to believe are barriers to their growth. On what costs are considered most detrimental to their business, Chinese businesses were again most likely to nominate staff costs followed by rent. In each of the past three years, of all the markets ed Chinese businesses were the most likely to nominate staff costs as being the cost most detrimental to their business. Given concerns around costs, particularly staff costs, it is not surprising that Mainland Chinese businesses were most likely to select good staff as the factor that had the most positive impact on their business in. In fact, Chinese businesses were the most likely to nominate this factor. Concerns over staff costs may also be contributing to the very strong use of technology amongst China s small businesses.

5 5 THE CPA AUSTRALIA ASIA-PACIFIC SMALL BUSINESS SURVEY MARKET SUMMARY: CHINA Concerns over competition being a barrier to growth may have positive long-term implications for China s small businesses as it helps to drive innovation, the uptake of new technology and encourage expansion into new markets essential ingredients to long term growth. Reflecting the strong growth expectation of China s small businesses and the significant investment many are making into the future of their business through investments in innovation, e-commerce and assets, it is of no surprise that China s small businesses are one of the most likely to expect their focus on training to increase in 2017 from. This will no doubt help to improve the skills and capability of China s small businesses, which will also support long-term growth, and help to improve their competitiveness and profitability. The high growth, high investment needs of businesses from China is flowing through to increasing the demand for external finance, with four in five businesses accessing external finance in with business growth being the most likely reason for seeking such finance. With small businesses typically expecting their business and the economy to grow in 2017, a very high percentage of respondents expect to seek external finance to help fund growth in 2017 despite respondents experiencing less easy access to finance in than in, and for these conditions to persist into The popularity of banks as the main source of external finance for China s small businesses increased in from, however small businesses from China remain one of the least likely to source funds from banks. Instead, they are somewhat more likely than the to seek external funds from the crowd and venture capitalists.