On June 23, China's State Administration for Market Regulation dropped two pieces of news on the same day. One was a number — ¥20,502.1 billion in advertising revenue for 2025, the first time the market crossed the ¥2 trillion mark. The other was a policy document — a 22-point plan from six government departments on accelerating the advertising industry's development.
Most coverage treated these as separate stories. The number is a milestone. The policy is a roadmap. But put them together, and the message is unusually clear: China is actively building infrastructure to welcome more advertising investment, including from overseas.
This matters for any brand that wants to reach Chinese consumers through paid media. Here's what the policy actually says, what the numbers actually mean, and where the real barriers sit for companies outside China.
📊 The Data: ¥2 Trillion and Accelerating
Let's get the numbers straight.
China's advertising industry generated ¥20,502.1 billion in 2025 revenue — roughly $2.85 trillion USD at current exchange rates. That represents year-on-year growth of 32.6%. For context, the market has roughly doubled in five years.
The structural shift is equally significant. Internet advertising now accounts for a dominant share of the total, with digital ad technologies reshaping the full chain from market insights and content production to precision targeting. The Advertising Industry Development Index hit 143.3 points, up 11.6% year-on-year.
And it is not slowing down. In the first quarter of 2026, advertising revenue at major enterprises grew 17.1% year-on-year. The trajectory points toward continued double-digit expansion.
Three things stand out for overseas advertisers:
First, the growth is real and broad-based. This is not a one-year anomaly driven by post-pandemic recovery — the five-year doubling shows sustained structural expansion. The growth comes from both eastern provinces (the traditional economic engine) and western regions (Sichuan-Chongqing economic zone, in particular, saw breakout growth).
Second, digital dominance is nearly complete. Internet advertising's rising share means almost all net new advertising activity is happening on platforms like Baidu. For overseas brands that operate entirely through digital channels, this means the market structure is already aligned with how you do business.
Third, Q1 2026 numbers confirm the trend. The 17.1% first-quarter growth rate among major enterprises suggests the momentum from 2025 is carrying forward, not cooling off.
📋 The Policy: What the 22-Point Plan Actually Says
The document — officially titled "Opinions on Vigorously Promoting High-Quality Development of the Advertising Industry in the New Era" — was jointly released by six government bodies: the State Administration for Market Regulation, the National Development and Reform Commission, the Cyberspace Administration, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the National Radio and Television Administration, and the National Data Administration.
Six departments signing off on one document is rare. It signals coordinated intent at the highest level.
The 22 items fall under six categories: industry layout, innovation, cross-sector integration, opening up to the world, regulatory environment, and implementation support. For overseas brands, three items in the "Opening Up" section deserve direct attention.
Item 12: Supporting Ad Companies to Go Global — and Go Multi-Language
"Support advertising enterprises in customizing multi-language advertising services for different national cultures and consumer characteristics, and expand diverse communication channels such as international media platforms."
This is the clearest signal yet that Chinese policy recognizes multi-language ad production as a strategic capability. For overseas brands advertising in China, the reverse direction matters more: if China wants its agencies to produce multi-language ads for overseas markets, those same agencies are building the capability to handle non-Chinese brands in China. The infrastructure flows both ways.
Item 13: Welcoming International Ad Resources
"Encourage advertising enterprises to engage in high-level exchanges and cooperation with international advertising groups and creative agencies, introducing advanced design concepts, production techniques, and operational models."
This is effectively an open-door statement. The government is telling the domestic industry to learn from international players — not to wall them off. For overseas agencies and brands with established ad operations, this creates room for direct partnerships with Chinese platforms and agencies.
Item 14: Building Import Infrastructure for Ad Services
"Accelerate the supply of overseas advertising services and establish a directory of high-quality overseas advertising agencies."
This is the most concrete item. A government-maintained directory of overseas agencies creates a formal recognition channel. For companies like BPP that serve overseas advertisers on Baidu, being listed means official acknowledgment as part of the ecosystem. It also signals that regulators are building administrative infrastructure specifically for cross-border ad service flows — not just tolerating them, but organizing them.
Beyond the "Opening Up" section, two other items carry weight:
- Item 4: Cultivate internationally competitive leading enterprises in advertising.
- Item 6: Develop "digital-intelligent advertising" (数智广告) — AI-driven, data-powered, scenario-oriented ad services.
Both point toward a more professionalized, technology-driven market. The agencies that win in this environment will be the ones that combine platform expertise with cross-border capability — not the ones that just buy media in bulk.
| Policy Category | Items | Key Focus |
|---|---|---|
| 🏗️ Industry Layout | 1–4 | Regional clusters, enterprise cultivation |
| 🔬 Innovation | 5–7 | AI + big data ad tech, digital transformation |
| 🔗 Cross-Sector Integration | 8–11 | Brand building, "Advertising+" initiative |
| 🌍 Opening Up | 12–14 | Multi-language ads, international agencies, cross-border infrastructure |
| ⚖️ Regulatory Environment | 15–19 | Standards, data security, compliance |
| 📐 Implementation Support | 20–22 | Funding, talent, coordination mechanism |
🚧 The Barrier for Overseas Companies
The policy is favorable. The data is favorable. The real question is whether overseas brands can actually access this market.
Three structural barriers remain, and none of them are addressed by the new policy:
Barrier 1: Account entity requirements. Opening a Baidu advertising account still requires a Chinese business license. For overseas companies without a registered entity in China, this is a hard stop. The policy mentions "accelerating the supply of overseas advertising services," but the account opening mechanism itself remains unchanged. You still need a domestic proxy to operate.
Barrier 2: Language and cultural gap. The policy supports multi-language ad services, but the ad platforms themselves — Baidu's backend, analytics dashboards, optimization tools — are almost entirely in Chinese. Overseas advertisers need not just translated creative, but translated operations. The gap between "having access" and "being effective" is wide.
Barrier 3: Platform fragmentation and policy complexity. China's ad ecosystem is not one platform. Each channel has its own rules, formats, and optimization logic. The 22-point policy is a framework — turning it into operational advantage requires deep platform-by-platform knowledge.
✅ What BPP Does About It
The ¥2 trillion market and the new policy are tailwinds. But tailwinds don't push your boat unless you have a boat in the water.
BPP bridges the three barriers directly:
- Account entity: We operate as the licensed domestic proxy. You run campaigns without a Chinese business license.
- Language and platform operations: We handle the Baidu backend in Chinese — keyword research, ad copy in Chinese, bid optimization, performance reporting. You get campaign visibility in English.
- Cross-platform strategy: We specialize in Baidu Search Ads, the primary entry point for overseas B2B and B2C brands targeting Chinese buyers. When your strategy needs to expand beyond search, we connect the dots.
The policy says "establish a directory of high-quality overseas advertising agencies." The market says "¥2 trillion and growing at 32.6%." Both point in the same direction: the infrastructure for cross-border advertising into China is being built. The question is whether you build your own infrastructure or use one that already works.