Creating a Chinese “Miele”?

This paper analyzes the country-of-origin effects of Chinese brands going international. To approach this topic, the author uses a comparative case study, in which a Chinese manufacturer of white goods, Haier, and a German manufacturer, Miele, serve as examples. Fueled by “China trash” reports in EU and US media, the image of China as country of origin still has a negative connotation. The Chinese government and Chinese companies are working to change this image, since they both regard branding as important means for corporate internationalization. This paper argues that Chinese brands could achieve a similar development as did Japanese and Korean brands in the second half of the last century.