LIVE FROM GSMA MOBILE ASIA EXPO 2012: Google claims Chinese app developers need to overcome a number of obstacles if they are to successfully take their products global.

Leon Zhao, head of mobile for Google’s online partnerships group, said at Mobile Asia Expo today that the first issue for Chinese developers is that they are geographically a long way from international users, making it difficult to appreciate cultural differences – such as the timing of public holidays – that could impact the uptake of their apps.

Zhao said language issues can be addressed in games by making sure the user experience doesn’t rely too heavily on language, using graphics and gameplay as a way to communicate with users.

The other obstacle is making Chinese brands trustworthy in the eyes of users in other countries. Zhao said this can be overcome by pursuing partnerships with more well-known brands to provide a way to access other markets.

“Hopefully there are more Chinese app companies that are accepted and go mainstream,” he said.

Chinese developers often see internationalisation of their business as a way to avoid the restrictions of operating solely in China.

Big Chinese companies can easily copy apps and have the financial clout and user base to back their efforts. There are also monetisation issues as a higher proportion of jail-broken smartphones in China compared to other markets means unofficial free versions of paid games can be easily found, and in-app advertising can be easily exploited by criminals.