Rich Chinese are partial to foreign brands

Big foreign labels such as Chanel and BMW continue to dominate as top brands for wealthy Chinese consumers, with their choices determined mainly by quality and environment factors, a recent survey has found.

The report, released by MasterCard Worldwide on Tuesday, said that brands are important to affluent consumers, with those in Shanghai and Guangzhou placing greater emphasis on brand names compared to their Beijing counterparts.

More favor foreign brands over domestic ones, with 36.3 percent of respondents saying they prefer foreign brands, compared to 19.8 percent who chose up-market domestic brands.