Manager is an officer role — ‘GM’ on a card does not bind the company unless chops, AOA or LR status say so.
Company Law provides for a manager appointed by the board (or the sole director) to run daily operations. The AOA and internal authorisation matrix decide what they can sign. They may also be the legal representative, but that is a separate SAMR registration. Labour-law GM contracts sit beside company-law office. Banks will ask for LR chop plus authorisation, not a LinkedIn title. This page is the officer. Directors and LR risk are related pages.
4 questions before you choose the route.
This page identifies the right question and evidence. It does not determine the legal outcome on a reader’s facts.
Is the GM also LR?
Check the licence.
LRWhat can they sign without a board?
AOA and chop rules.
AuthorityEmployment vs office?
Labour overlay.
LabourWho can fire them?
Board vs shareholder.
RemovalWorking rule: Map the regulated role before marketing or launch in China.
The signal ledger.
These facts move the question beyond a label and into a product, money-flow and control analysis.
Bring a compact evidence docket—not a pitch deck.
Give a compliance team or counsel the operating facts that reveal the perimeter.
Questions people ask before they build.
Short answers for orientation. The right result can change with the service model and current rules.
Must a WFOE have a GM?
Practice almost always names one. The AOA should say how they are appointed.
Can a foreign GM skip a work permit because they are an ‘officer’?
No. Immigration follows actual work in China.
Primary authorities
Reviewed sources support orientation, not a fact-specific assessment.