From Spring Festival Gala robots to Chinese companies going global

From Spring Festival Gala robots to Chinese companies going global

March 2026

Jiao Tan, Associate Director, Sandpiper

This year’s CCTV Spring Festival Gala (Chunwan), China’s most-watched TV show, featured more robots than ever before.

Humanoid robots from Unitree performed a series of martial arts moves, from vaults and backflips to impressively coordinated nunchuck routines. Their “cyber Kung Fu” was unexpectedly convincing. Watching the smooth, flowing sequence of movements, I couldn’t help but think about how companies build reputation.

Just like a martial arts performance, it takes more than a single impressive move to win over an audience. Especially when entering a new market, reputation cannot be built overnight. It requires a carefully planned sequence of actions, building momentum step by step to first be seen, and over time, to be understood, trusted, and respected.

In reality, however, the requests we often hear from companies sound something like this: “We’ve made strong progress in market X, and now we’d like to secure media coverage to raise our visibility and support business growth.”

For the communications teams, this request often comes with three common gaps:

1. The visibility gap

Even large, well-established companies in China can become “nobody” in overseas markets.

If there is little to no local-language information available – whether on Google, or increasingly through GenAI tools like ChatGPT or Gemini – media and potential partners cannot even complete their basic due diligence. They don’t know who you are, and they cannot assess your credibility. Without that, there is little reason for them to pay attention, let alone cover your story.

2. The timing gap

In many cases, companies only start thinking about communications after making progress in a new market.

There is nothing inherently wrong with that. However, from a media perspective, yesterday’s news is already old news. When timing is missed, opportunities for visibility are often lost as well.

3. The relevance gap

From the company’s perspective, the focus is on why a development matters to the business. But from a media perspective, the key question is: why should my audience care?

If we cannot clearly articulate the impact and value of that development for the local market, it becomes very difficult to generate interest.

Since we talked about martial arts earlier, I’d like to borrow from the idea of “momentum” or “Shi” in martial arts to discuss how companies can avoid these gaps and tell their stories more effectively overseas.

Step 1: Build the foundation (起势)

Start with the basics, but do them properly.

This includes having a local-language website and market-facing materials such as company brochures. But this is not just about translation. It requires rethinking and reshaping your narrative for the specific market.

At the core is a clear communications narrative. Companies need to answer a few fundamental questions: Why do you exist? How do you deliver on your promises in this market? And what do you do?

At the same time, companies should establish a presence on relevant social platforms, so overseas audiences can find and learn about them through familiar channels.

Step 2: Plan ahead (造势)

The timing gap is, in many ways, the easiest to fix by planning communications in advance.

Communications should be aligned with key business milestones, not treated as an afterthought.

To do this well, companies need to be clear on a few basics: What are the communications objectives? Who is the target audience?

Based on that, decisions can be made on what to say, how to say it, and through which channels.

Step 3: Leverage external momentum （借势）

Media coverage itself is a form of leverage, tapping into the credibility and reach of media platforms to build awareness and trust.

But media is not the only channel. For B2B companies in particular, industry associations, conferences, and other sector-specific platforms often provide more targeted opportunities to engage with key stakeholders.

At the same time, local partners, customers, and employees are invaluable assets. Through them, companies can build more authentic connections with the local market and earn trust more naturally.

Step 4: Sustain the momentum （乘势）

Even after successfully leveraging key business milestones, the work does not stop there.

Companies need to continue telling their story to stay top of mind. Over time, the narrative should also evolve from what the company has done to how it is contributing to the local market.

For Chinese companies, this also means building a more multi-dimensional presence. Entering a new market is not just about capturing market share. It also involves competing for talent, capital, and long-term relevance.

Through sustained, multi-layered communications, companies can demonstrate how they are integrating into the local market, delivering on their commitments, and creating value for customers, industry, talent, and the wider community.

When a company creates long-term value locally, it builds a strong foundation for sustainable growth, moving from being “seen” to being truly accepted, understood, and respected.

At that point, leaders and communications teams no longer need to keep asking: “How do we move beyond being seen simply as a Chinese company?”

Because by then, you are no longer an outsider – you have become part of the market.

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