Li Wenli, general manager of Hisense Japan, shared the company's experiences gaining a foothold in the competitive Japanese market and winning recognition among consumers during a recent interview.

Customers browse Hisense products. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

Li noted that practicing long-termism is an important factor for Chinese enterprises looking to win the Japanese market.

In Li's view of the long-termism strategy, the management ability of a company should not be changed too frequently. Otherwise, the understanding of Japanese culture and the establishment of trust with Japanese employees will be greatly affected.

Li said that the vice president of Hisense's Japan branch was the first Japanese employee to join the company at the very beginning of its establishment, and has worked there for 11 years.

"As a result of working together for a long time, the management layer has established a relationship of complete trust with each other, making efficient decisions and making it possible for subordinates to act quickly," Li said.

Hisense set up a branch in Japan in 2010. It began selling TV products in 2011, and sales have increased 15-fold in 10 years, while the development momentum of its electric appliances such as refrigerators and washing machines has been rapid.

"If Chinese enterprises want to go abroad, they should stick to their own brand. Even if it is difficult at the beginning, I think it is better to be their own brand than OEM," said Li.

"It was very difficult to start a business here because Japan is the home appliance kingdom and technical requirements and quality standards are very high," Li said. "It's still hard to gain the trust of major Japanese distributors. In this area, we have made strong efforts. "

It took 10 years for Hisense to establish a partnership with Yamada Denki, Japan's largest electronics seller.

"Now, to continue to expand our market share, we must compete head-on with Japanese brands. Local brands have a long history in the Japanese market and users have a strong sense of trust in them. Therefore, Hisense has a long way to go to surpass Japanese brands by continuously raising its quality to meet Japanese standards, using the most advanced technology and products and marketing that directly affects end users, and making continuous contributions to the local community," said Li.