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(CNN) -- It may not be hard to enter the Chinese market, but operating and turning a profit once you get there is the challenge.
For some, business in China is shrouded in misconceptions due to a lack of understanding.
One of the most common concerns that worry businesspeople is red tape, but some early movers have dispelled that notion.
"I do not view the government as a hindrance at all, multinationals have a pretty good voice at various levels of the government," Steve Schneider, CEO of General Electric (GE) China told CNN.
"We actually find it not at all difficult in China -- it is more about how you drive growth; how you utilize technologies and how you train people."
GE set up operations for all of its eight business units in China, investing more than $1.5 billion. As a multinational company, GE has significant clout.
But for smaller firms, the road into China has been a drain on their business.
"It has been pretty difficult. It took us nine months to get our business license. I have spent many hours talking to government ministries. This has slowed down our business a lot," says Florian von Oppenheim from the Shanghai office of OSG Records Management.
Doing a significant amount of research before launching into a new market is necessary for any country and now there are many government and private agencies offering services that can help companies do the groundwork for entering China.
"There is a tendency to think of China as a single market, because that is how people talk about it, but actually it is a vast place," says Peter Nightingale, CEO of the China Britain Business Council.
In total there are 33 different provinces in the Middle Kingdom. Many of these provinces have populations greater than many European countries.
There are also over 100 cities with more than one million inhabitants, and within these sophisticated markets a number of products and services are sold.
Richard Chang the founder and CEO of SMIC, the world's fourth largest semiconductor maker, has a number of recommendations for entering the China market:
"Number one: You have to have a clear vision. You have to know whether there is a really big and long-term market in China for your product or service."
"Number two: You have to be very patient, because dealing with the Chinese is different from dealing with Americans. But Americans and Chinese are good people, so are the British -- just different -- you have to know how to work with them."
"Thirdly you have to have passion. Not everyone here is loveable. Not everyone here is likeable either. If you do not have the patience or the passion, it is difficult to do business here in the long term."
The protection of intellectual property rights is very important.
While the government is starting to take steps to protect companies, it is still in the early stages.
-- CNN's Leone Lakhani and Richard Quest contributed to this report
