PKF China

What PKF China does

PKF China is a Shanghai-headquartered professional services firm operating as an independent member of the PKF International network, providing audit, corporate services, evaluation, hospitality and real estate, financial advisory, tax advisory, and management advisory services to domestic and international clients in mainland China. The firm extends its offering through PKF Legal 德美律师事务所, a wholly-owned subsidiary that specializes in immigration law, education law, and cross-border legal advisory, and has been appointed as the sole designated expert team for the China chapter of the International Comparative Legal Guides (ICLG) on global business immigration by the American Immigration Lawyers Association and Global Legal Group. Its customer segments span domestic and international enterprises, high-net-worth families (via a family office practice that won the 2021 China Family Office Top50 award), and international educational institutions seeking to enter China or Chinese institutions expanding abroad.

The firm operates with a small team of approximately 17 employees and is led by Managing Partners Kelvin Ma and Richard Yan, with Bruce Chen serving as Legal Director. Beyond its Shanghai headquarters, PKF China maintains a Haikou office managed by Kelvin Ma, established through a strategic partnership with the Haikou International Business Mediation Center to serve clients in the Hainan Free Trade Port. The firm has also signed institutional partnerships with East China University of Political Science and Law (Criminal Justice College) for legal talent cultivation and with the Shanghai Non-Government Education Development Foundation for private education sector legal services.

PKF China generates revenue through fee-based professional engagements typical of mid-tier audit, tax, legal, and advisory firms, with cross-border mandate flow generated through the global PKF International referral network of 400+ offices across 150 countries. The go-to-market relies on network referrals, participation in PKF North Asia and Asia Pacific regional conferences, and the firm's bilingual website. No proprietary technology, AI tools, APIs, or software products are disclosed, and the firm operates as a human-delivered professional services business backed by the PKF brand and network.

Name

PKF China

Legal name

PKF China

Website

https://pkfchina.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1869

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

PKF China is a Shanghai-headquartered professional services firm and member of the PKF International network, providing audit, tax, legal, financial advisory, and consulting services to domestic and international enterprises, high-net-worth families, and educational institutions in mainland China.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audit, Tax, and Advisory Services

NAICS

Offices of Certified Public Accountants (541211), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Public Sector & Policy Consulting (BPAHACAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Offshore & International Private Banking (FSAAABAB)

Keywords

• Audit services
• Tax advisory
• Immigration law
• Corporate advisory
• Family office services

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

PKF China is a professional services firm providing audit, corporate services, evaluation, hospitality and real estate advisory, financial advisory, tax advisory, and management advisory to domestic and international organizations operating in or with China. Through its PKF Legal subsidiary, the firm also delivers specialized legal consulting focused on immigration law and international business law, and offers education consulting for international institutions expanding into China as well as family office wealth management services for high-net-worth clients.

Product overview

PKF China offers a comprehensive suite of professional services including audit, corporate services, evaluation, hospitality & realty, financial advisory, tax advisory, and management advisory. As part of the global PKF International network spanning 150 countries with over 400 offices, PKF China provides specialized legal services through PKF Legal (德美律师事务所), education consulting for international institutions entering China market, and family office wealth management services. The firm positions itself with a 'Local Perspective, Global Focus' philosophy, combining international standards with local expertise in the Chinese market.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audit Services (审计服务) Professional audit services delivered by PKF China to businesses and organizations as part of the firm's core service portfolio, conducted under PKF International's unified global quality standards.
• Corporate Services (企业服务) Corporate services supporting business operations and regulatory compliance for organizations in China, provided as part of PKF China's core offerings.
• Evaluation Services (评估服务) Professional valuation and evaluation services for businesses and organizations requiring independent assessments.
• Hospitality & Realty (休闲不动产及房地产) Specialized advisory services for the hospitality industry and real estate sector, delivered through cooperation with PKF hotelexpert and other PKF member firms.
• Financial Advisory (财务咨询) Financial advisory services assisting clients with financial planning, structuring, and decision-making for corporate and cross-border matters.
• Tax Advisory (税务咨询) Tax consulting and advisory services for businesses and organizations operating in China and across borders.
• Management Advisory (管理咨询) Management consulting services designed to improve business performance and operational efficiency for clients.
• PKF Legal 德美律师事务所 (PKF Consulting Inc.) Legal consulting services specializing in immigration law and international business law, recognized as the only designated expert team for the ICLG China chapter by AILA and GLG. Covers labor relations, tort liability, contract management, institutional governance, and intellectual property protection for institutional clients.
• PKF Education Consulting Services Education consulting services supporting international institutions planning to expand into China, covering K-12 schools to universities, from setting up representative offices to establishing satellite campuses.
• PKF Family Office Services Wealth management services for high-net-worth clients, awarded the 2021 China Family Office Top50 title by Wealth APAC and IPWM&IFWM.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Haikou International Business Mediation CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021PKF China signed a partnership agreement with Haikou International Business Mediation Center, a non-profit organization sponsored by Haikou municipality, to become one of the first and most authoritative professional firms to interpret and announce the newest favorable policies and laws for Hainan Free Trade Port. PKF China has an office in Haikou managed by Kelvin Ma.
• Shanghai Non-Government Education Development Foundation (上海市民办教育发展基金会)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 September 2019PKF Legal signed a cooperation framework agreement with the foundation on September 26, 2019. Under the agreement, PKF Legal provides comprehensive legal consulting services to private education institutions and educators, covering labor relations, tort liability, contract management, institutional governance, and intellectual property protection. The foundation is initiated by 7 non-profit private schools including Shanghai Sande College, Shanghai Visual Arts College, and Donghai Vocational and Technical College.
• East China University of Political Science and Law (华东政法大学)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 May 2019PKF Legal 德美律师事务所 signed a strategic cooperation agreement with the Criminal Justice College of ECUPL on May 8, 2019. The agreement covers four areas of cooperation: cultivating legal talent with knowledge in immigration control, cross-border check, frontier defense management, and safety; party member quality improvement; academic research collaboration; and establishing a practice base for ECUPL students. PKF Legal also established the Demei Scholarship for outstanding students.
• PKF InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPKF China is a member firm of PKF International, a global family of legally independent firms bound by shared commitment to quality, integrity, and creating clarity in complex regulatory environments. PKF International has over 400 offices operating in 150 countries across five regions, specializing in high-quality audit, accounting, tax, and business advisory solutions.
• PKF HotelexpertcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPKF China collaborated with PKF hotelexpert to close consulting services for a US public university. This cooperation served as an example of seamless cooperation between PKF member firms, combining PKF China's local expertise with PKF hotelexpert's specialized hospitality knowledge.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Grant Thornton China: Grant Thornton operates a member-firm model in China offering audit, tax, and advisory—directly comparable network structure, service mix, and HNW/mid-market positioning to PKF China.
• Baker Tilly China: Baker Tilly is a global mid-tier network with China presence offering audit, tax, and advisory services to SMEs and HNW clients—comparable network-based professional services model.
• Mazars China: Mazars is an international audit, tax, and advisory firm operating in China with a member-firm model—comparable mid-tier positioning, service mix, and Chinese mid-market/HNW client focus.
• Crowe Global China: Crowe is a top-10 global accounting network with China operations delivering audit, tax, and advisory—directly comparable mid-tier network structure to PKF China.
• RSM China: RSM is a top-6 global accounting network with China presence covering audit, tax, and consulting for mid-market clients; comparable mid-tier network positioning and service breadth to PKF China.
• Ecovis China: Ecovis is a global mid-tier accounting and advisory network with China presence—comparable member-firm network structure and SME/mid-market focus to PKF China's positioning.
• BDO China: BDO is a global mid-tier accounting and advisory network with operations in China offering audit, tax, and advisory—directly comparable to PKF China's core professional services portfolio and similar network structure.
• Moore Global China: Moore Global is a mid-tier accounting and advisory network with Asia coverage—comparable member-firm structure and similar SME/mid-market client profile to PKF China.
• PKF Hong Kong: PKF Hong Kong is a fellow member firm within the same PKF International network as PKF China—directly comparable in service offering, mid-tier positioning, and cross-border referral dynamics.

Broad incumbents

• KPMG China: KPMG is a Big Four firm with substantial China operations across audit, tax, legal, and advisory—overlapping service lines with PKF China but at vastly larger scale and serving multinationals rather than focusing on PKF's mid-market/HNW niche.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/pkfchina

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about PKF China