Investor's Guide - WOFE Wholly Owned Foreign Enterprises are enterprises established exclusively by foreign corporations. They do not include branches set up in China by foreign companies. To be approved, they should help foster the development of China's national economy either by using advanced technology and equipment, or exporting most of their products. Registration of a WOFE is very similar to that of a joint venture. What is missing is the joint venture partner. Documents which in the JV process were the result of extensive negotiations are now as simple as preparing internal company reports. The key critical link with the government authorities is the "agent" who will perform the administrative tasks involved with registering that are usually managed by the Chinese partner in a joint venture. The Shanghai Foreign Investment Center can provide guidance in finding and selecting an agent.