Before you pay a Chinese supplier.
How to verify a Chinese supplier before you pay a deposit
Five steps to establish which legal entity you are dealing with: the licence, the registry record, the USCC, the contract seller and the beneficiary.
Updated 22 October 2026
How to read a Chinese business licence, field by field
What each field on a mainland Chinese business licence means, what the document shows, what it does not, and two free tools to help you read it.
Updated 22 October 2026
Documents to request from a Chinese supplier before paying a deposit
Six documents to ask a Chinese supplier for before a deposit, and what each one shows and does not: licence, PI, contract, bank evidence, authorisation.
Updated 22 October 2026
The beneficiary name does not match the supplier. Now what?
Bank details in another name, a Hong Kong company or a personal account: how to identify the payee and confirm its authority before you send money.
Updated 22 October 2026
A Hong Kong company is receiving my payment. Is that normal?
What a Hong Kong beneficiary does and does not tell you, how to check its link to your mainland supplier in the Companies Registry, and when to pause.
Updated 22 October 2026
My supplier sent new bank details. What should I check?
An email changing a supplier's bank account is a common payment-fraud method. How to confirm the change before you pay, and what to do if you already paid.
Updated 22 October 2026
Find a Chinese supplier's legal name from its English name
A mainland company's registered name is in Chinese; the English name is its own translation. Where to find the Chinese name and confirm it is the right one.
Updated 22 October 2026