The Top 5 Listed Chinese Brands in 2013

Haier Electronics Group: Chinese consumers have long gone with Haier when buying the likes of air conditioner units, refrigerators and washing machines. Market research firm Euromonitor International ranked the brand -- also widely known overseas -- as No. 1 in appliances last year, with an 8.6% market share due to its "differentiated products" and its Internet platform, the manufacturer says.

Haier, started in the 1920s and rebuilt in the 1980s, reported 2011 revenue of 150.9 billion yuan, up from 2010. Share prices of the Hong Kong-listed firm (1169.HK) went up about 35 percent in 2012.

Hangzhou Wahaha Group: The bottler of water, teas, juices and packager of popular Chinese snacks such as congee and sunflower seeds has assets of 17.8 billion yuan. Its products are easily found on shelves around the country, where people thirst especially for bottled water as they don't trust taps even in the biggest cities.

Wahaha, once a joint venture with Groupe Danone of France, has toyed with an IPO despite several failed efforts. If it lists, buy shares. As Buck Pei, associate dean of Asia programs at the University of Arizona business school, told me during an interview in November: "Anything to do with food and beverages will do well as long as China's GDP does well." GDP growth may dip to 7.5% in 2012, if widespread predictions prove true, but that's still no downturn.

Lenovo (LNVGY): The Beijing-based company that started out under the name Legend and bought IBM's (IBM) PC unit in 2004 sells consumer electronics that are considered as advanced as its chief rivals such as Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) and Toshiba. It bought IBM's PC division in late 2004, placing it among the world's top five or 10 biggest computer makers on most market research charts.

Being local, Lenovo easily and eagerly offers nationwide after-sales service -- yep, it honors warranties. The Hong Kong-listed (0992.HK) firm that also produces smartphones reported revenue of $29.574 billion for the year ending March 31, with 42% of sales from China. Hong Kong share prices rose 18% in 2012. Lenovo's ADRs are also traded in New York.

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