Methodology

What is listed

From China: products and services built by companies headquartered in China, each tied to the foreign products it can replace for the same job. One entry is one buying decision — a product line, not a whole conglomerate.

Alternatives to China: non-Chinese products a buyer in the US or the EU can use instead of a specific Chinese product. Anything owned or controlled by a Chinese company or the Chinese state (a majority or controlling stake) is left out; notable minority Chinese shareholders are mentioned in the note. Where no non-Chinese supplier serves a region, the page says so instead of stretching to a weaker match.

Sources and dates

Facts come from company sites and filings, exchanges, regulators and official journals, and major press, and are checked by hand. Figures that move — market caps, rankings, regional availability — carry the month or date they were checked. Regulatory records link to the official publication.

Listing, market cap and investability

• Listing shows the market a foreign investor can reach most easily: US, then Hong Kong, then mainland A-shares. Other listings of the same company are shown alongside.
• Market cap is a dated snapshot in the original currency, converted to US dollars at current exchange rates when the page loads. An entry that is one part of a larger company shows that company's value.
• Foreign-investable means a foreign retail investor can buy the shares through an ordinary broker: a US, Hong Kong or B-share listing, or a main-board A-share on Hong Kong's current Northbound Stock Connect list. STAR Market and ChiNext shares (open to institutional investors only through Stock Connect) and Beijing Stock Exchange shares (not in Stock Connect) count as not investable unless the company also trades in the US or Hong Kong. Restrictions on US persons are shown separately in the regulatory notes.

Regional alternatives

• Available, Limited or Enterprise sales only describe whether a buyer in that region can actually get the product; the last two always carry a note saying why.
• In-region data residency is shown only when the vendor officially offers it.
• A short fit note says which part of the Chinese product an alternative covers when it does not cover all of it (for example, one product line).
• Medical devices count as available only with the region's market authorization (FDA or CE).

Regulatory and trade records

Only rules that limit buying or using a product in a region appear on cards, and only when you choose that region: FCC Covered List, NDAA §889, American Security Drone Act, EU 5G Toolbox, International Procurement Instrument, National 5G security rules. They never hide a product; Recommended order moves it after the others.

Everything else stays in the product detail, worded for what it actually does:

• US export controls (BIS Entity List): limits on what can be shipped to the company.
• US investment rules (OFAC NS-CMIC, Treasury outbound investment): limits on US persons investing.
• US import rules on forced labour (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders).
• China's export controls (MOFCOM) on the goods the product is made from, including any suspension and its end date.
• Trade-remedy duties (US and EU anti-dumping, countervailing and safeguard duties): an extra import cost, not a ban.
• US DoD Section 1260H list: limits Department of Defense contracting, not anyone else's purchase or use.
• Parent-company context when a rule names the parent rather than the product.

Not recorded: general tariffs (Section 301, IEEPA, Section 232), open investigations and proposals. Nothing here is legal or investment advice.

Medical technology

Only positive market authorizations are listed — FDA 510(k) clearance, PMA approval or De Novo grant; CE marking under the MDR or IVDR; NMPA registration — for the product line named. A missing record means none was verified, not that one was refused. There are no clinical comparisons.

Rankings and scores

Ranks within a category follow the dated source noted in the product detail. The independence score rates software on lock-in and portability; hardware is not scored.

Corrections

Suggest a product or a fix through Submit, or write to [email protected]. See also the terms.