Building the framework for trust in an uncertain world.
CGBB sets the standards for how trust is assessed and rated in business. Companies, universities, media and independent experts build them together, on a rigorous academic foundation.
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Check any company’s live CGBB record before you buy from it, partner with it or rely on its CGBB badge.
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- Signed by CGBB
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The three possible results
Verified TrustedPassed the CGBB Trust Review: 80%+ on the Baseline, reviewed every year.
MemberAn approved CGBB member that controls this website. No public score.
No recordAny CGBB badge shown on that website is not genuine.
How the Baseline works →Our ongoing research into trust
CGBB studies how trust in a brand can be measured objectively and checked by anyone: buyers, partners, regulators and AI agents. The work is done with our members, universities and media partners, and the results are published openly.
The CGBB Brand Trust Baseline
- What it is
- A research-backed, objective measure of brand trust, applicable across industries and markets. It turns CGBB research and collaborative industry analysis into one clear, comparable answer.
- How it works
- Five sections (identifiability, reviews and delivery, compliance, transparency, responsibility) cover 15 indicators. Each indicator is rated 0–5 from concrete checks, and fixed rules combine them into an overall status and a score out of 100. The same evidence always gives the same result.
- Why it matters
- Instead of relying on a brand’s own claims, anyone can see how well its trust is evidenced, compare brands fairly, and track progress year after year.
How the score works
- Evidence4–8 checks per indicator; “not sure” counts as no evidence
- Indicators 0–5rated from the checks met
- Sections 0–5average of their indicators
- Score 0–10020 × the average of the five sections
- Risks are not averaged away. An unresolved major risk, or A1 or C1 at 0–1, caps the score at 59; section A or C at 0–1 caps it at 39.
- Evidence support. High: 80%+ coverage, half independently verified. Medium: 60%+. Low: 40%+.
- Stable by design. Fixed, versioned rules (baseline-2026.11): identical answers give an identical result, and the website scan and AI answers never lower a score.
- Not enough information if section A or C cannot be rated, fewer than four sections are rated, or coverage is under 60%.
View the 5 sections and 15 indicators
AIdentifiability and consistency
Who are you, can outsiders confirm it, and do the sources match?
- A1Verifiable legal entity
- A2Clear management and responsibility information
- A3Consistent, current information across channels
BReviews and delivery record
What records have real customers and partners left?
- B1Customer feedback
- B2Partner delivery and cooperation record
- B3Other real external experience
CCompliance and governance
Are the rules met, and are there material risks?
- C1Market access and required licences
- C2Compliance and governance foundations
- C3Legal, regulatory and governance record
DTransparency and response
When answers are needed, how does the company explain and act?
- D1Necessary disclosure
- D2Complaint and dispute response
- D3Remediation and follow-up
EResponsibility and localisation
What local, long-term record has the company built?
- E1Verifiable responsibility practice
- E2Local hiring and partnerships
- E3Community and long-term local relationships
How the research is applied
- Baseline self-testFree for membersAn indicative status, score and priorities.
- Trust ReviewAdvanced membershipCGBB checks the evidence behind each indicator.
- Verified Trusted80% or higherThe Website Trust Credential is upgraded, backed by the Trust Review. Renewed yearly.
2026First research publication, released in Hong Kong at the end of November.
2027Preliminary ranking of reviewed brands; the method refined with first-year results.
Books and papers
Trust: about the book, contents and how to get it
When Chinese companies sell abroad through agents, trust rests mostly on product quality and delivery. Once they build factories, brands and teams in overseas markets, local governments, partners, customers and staff want to know whether the company, and the people running it, can be relied on.
Trust is a practical guide to building that trust across cultures, drawing on more than 20 years of work in China and on real cases (company and brand names removed). It covers a four-lens framework for trust (institutions, capability, culture and emotion), the “5R” localisation approach, the five cultural gaps companies must cross abroad, and how to repair trust in a crisis. It is the idea the Council for Global Brand Building was founded on.
Chris Pereira (彭家荣), Founding Chairman of CGBB · Shenzhen Publishing House · February 2026 · Chinese (Simplified) · ISBN 978-7-5507-4451-6
Contents
- Chapter 1Building cross-cultural trust
- Chapter 2“5R”: localising trust-building in practice
- Chapter 3Five cultural gaps in overseas localisation
- Chapter 4Building trust in practice
- ConclusionBecoming a truly local global company
Order from the publisher at www.htph.com.cn or on +86 755 8346 0239, or at major bookshops in China.
From our founding members: Prof. Xiao Wang (汪潇)
- Yicai column · Jul 2026《从三个案例看企业出海过程中的问题考量顺序》
What to decide first when going global: three company cases on defining the customer, localising, building compliance and delivery, and scaling on cash flow. Yicai “跨越山海” column, with Zhong Lichen.
- Conference paper · 2026Understanding Digital Technology Adoption in Traditional Manufacturing SMEs: A Dynamic Capability Perspective
How small traditional manufacturers build the capabilities they need to adopt digital technology. Journal of Product Innovation Management Research Forum, Atlanta, with J. Fang, A. Nair and B. Zhao.
- Journal article · 2026From path dependence to path creation: How China's incumbent power generators navigate the energy transition?
How China's established power generators move away from old paths and build new ones as the energy system shifts. Energy Research & Social Science, with Sixuan Liu and Jing Wu.
- Book · 2024《工厂数字化：业务驱动下的转型策略与实操》
Factory Digitalization: Business-Driven Transformation Strategy and Practice. With Bin Jin and Xuefeng Lu. Posts & Telecom Press.
- Journal article · 2025Aligning risk and value creation: a process model of supply chain risk management in geopolitical disruptions
How small and medium-sized multinationals manage supply chain risk, and still create value, through shocks such as the US–China trade war. International Journal of Operations & Production Management, with J. Zheng, N. Islam, J. Zhang, A. Behl and T. Papadopoulos.
News and events
More on LinkedIn ↗Latest news
Members can now publish a credential, signed by CGBB, that lets AI agents verify their website belongs to a reviewed organisation.
CGBB’s connector is listed in the official MCP Registry, so AI assistants can apply on a brand’s behalf and check any credential directly.
Yicai covers the Council’s launch at the WTO Public Forum in Geneva and its first project, a credibility index built with academic, media and corporate partners.
Upcoming events
The Council presents its first whitepaper, setting out the academic foundations for assessing and rating trust in business. Date, venue and registration details will follow.
A CGBB discussion panel at Global Connect Show in Las Vegas, held alongside CES on 5 January 2027.
Event details →Themed “Global Finance, China Coordinates”. The main conference opens at 14:00 with Yicai Global’s new-decade strategy, ecosystem partner announcements and a roundtable on Chinese companies going global. The evening Silk Road salon from 18:00 is by invitation only.
A series of events for Chinese companies expanding overseas.
- Nov 2026 · Hong KongFamily succession and the “good” economy in the Greater Bay Area
- Nov 2026 · ShenzhenAPEC agenda: Chinese supply chains going global in a new cycle
- Nov 2026 · Abu DhabiThe new Middle East: paths to high-quality expansion
- Dec 2026 · LondonChina–UK innovation in quantum technology and Physical AI
- Dec 2026 · DubaiGCSX session at GITEX GLOBAL
- Dec 2026 · ShanghaiNew Silk Road: Central Asian industrial cooperation and going global digitally
- Dec 2026 · ShanghaiBeyond Hong Kong: new routes for tech companies going global
The Council for Global Brand Building, a non-profit association founded in Hong Kong, was announced in Geneva during the WTO Public Forum, together with its first project: a credibility index for brands going global.
Event details →Founders and Expert Committee
A consortium of companies, institutions and media groups founded CGBB in Hong Kong to establish the rules for building trust in global business. The Council was announced in Geneva in 2026.
China Business Network’s global financial media platform.
Visit website →
Membership is open.
Basic Membership is free and includes the Brand Trust Baseline self-test and the CGBB Member badge for your website. Advanced Membership adds a full Trust Review.