Chinese manufacturers are certainly going online – to target U.S. markets directly, in addition to producing goods for U.S. companies to sell. Alibaba’s new Western-focused online retail store, 11mainstreet.com, could help Chinese manufacturers bypass American retailers, for example, and sell directly to U.S. consumers.

Among the Chinese technology companies already targeting global markets are Huawei Technology Co. and Xiaomi Inc. (smartphone makers) and Lenovo Group, Ltd. (phones and computers). Taiwan’s PC manufacturers Acer Inc. and Asustek Computer Inc. (widely know as Asus) are also major global players.

Three online services that are blocked by China’s Great Firewall—Google, Facebook and Twitter—have set up shop in Hong Kong in part to sell advertising to Chinese companies going global. Even state-owned businesses, such as Air China and the People’s Daily newspaper reportedly have Twitter accounts.

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