Practical legal guidance for international buyers dealing with Chinese supplier disputes. Everything from emergency asset freezes to CIETAC arbitration strategy — written by a PRC-licensed attorney with 5+ years of trade dispute experience.
Your supplier has gone silent or vanished with your payment. Here is the exact 7-step emergency action plan — what to do in the first 72 hours and how to maximize your chances of recovery before assets disappear.
Read full article →A complete guide to asset preservation (财产保全) in China: what it is, how it works, the 5-step process with timeline, what assets you can freeze, costs, and why speed is everything.
Read full article →Before you wire money to a Chinese factory, check these 10 red-flag warning signs. Includes a 4-point pre-payment verification checklist and real examples of what scams look like in practice.
Read full article →An 11-dimension comparison between CIETAC arbitration and Chinese court litigation for international buyers. Includes a hybrid strategy: asset preservation via court + arbitration for the final award.
Read full article →Five real fraud cases — from the $60K disappearing shipment to the $40K "lost deposit" — with red flags, amounts involved, legal approaches taken, and actual recovery outcomes.
Read full article →The 10-point pre-payment verification checklist: business license checks, factory confirmation, red flag identification, and the tools that actually work to verify a China supplier before your money leaves your account.
Read full article →What documents, messages, and records you need to win a legal case against a Chinese supplier. Includes WeChat evidence rules under PRC law, notarization requirements, and the mistakes that kill cases.
Read full article →Step-by-step recovery plan: from demand letters and asset preservation through CIETAC arbitration and court litigation. Includes the double-deposit rule under PRC Civil Code and a realistic recovery timeline.
Read full article →You won the case. Now how do you actually get paid? A practical guide to domestic and international enforcement — asset tracing, bank account seizure, CIETAC award recognition under the New York Convention, and the tools Chinese courts use to force payment.
Read full article →A US clothing importer paid a Zhejiang textile factory that disappeared. How emergency asset freezing + CIETAC arbitration recovered 97% of the funds in 11 weeks — and the contract drafting mistakes that almost cost the case.
Read full case study →A Stuttgart precision engineering firm lost a deposit to a Dongguan trading company that was dissolving itself to avoid debt. How CIETAC arbitration, asset freezing, and Hong Kong cross-border enforcement recovered 93% of the funds.
Read full case study →Understand the PRC Civil Code provisions that govern your supplier contract: deposit vs. down payment, liquidated damages, penalty clauses, governing law, and the CIETAC clause that can make or break your case.
Read full article →The three legal paths for suing a Chinese supplier from abroad: CIETAC arbitration, Chinese court litigation, and home-country lawsuits. A practical comparison with country-specific guidance for US, UK, Australian, and Canadian buyers.
Read full article →Trade Assurance covers some losses — but not all. A head-to-head comparison: what Trade Assurance pays for, what it doesn't, and when legal action through CIETAC arbitration is your only path to full recovery.
Read full article →A cost-benefit analysis of 6 recovery options for small-value disputes. When a demand letter is enough, when CIETAC summary procedure makes sense, and the cases where even small claims are worth pursuing legally.
Read full article →A phase-by-phase breakdown of the recovery timeline: from investigation and demand letter through asset freeze, CIETAC arbitration or court proceedings, to enforcement. Realistic timeframes for each stage and what affects speed.
Read full article →A Sydney solar company received 200 defective panels with power output 22% below spec, micro-cracks, and frame corrosion. How CCIC third-party inspection, CIETAC arbitration, and New York Convention enforcement recovered 91% of the funds.
Read full case study →PayPal dispute timeline, why PayPal often sides with sellers on custom goods, evidence requirements, and what to do when PayPal fails — your legal options inside China.
Read full article →First 72-hour bank recall window, asset preservation orders, tracing money through Chinese banking, and the legal path from demand letter to court enforcement.
Read full article →Chargeback vs legal action comparison, which card networks offer better protection, the 120-day window, and legal fallback in China when chargebacks fail.
Read full article →Why Western Union is nearly impossible to recover through, so the real question is what you can do legally inside China. Evidence, police reports, civil lawsuits.
Read full article →4 most common Canton Fair scams, identifying the real company behind a booth number, evidence preservation, and legal escalation through demand letters and CIETAC.
Read full article →Met at the fair, paid the deposit, now they're slow. Immediate steps: verify license against booth registration, Qichacha red flags, and when to escalate legally.
Read full article →Covering Canton Fair, Yiwu Fair, East China Fair: booth registration as legal paper trail, real company identification, and recovery options.
Read full article →Transparent cost breakdown by claim amount: court fees, lawyer fees (base + contingency), evidence costs, enforcement. Litigation vs CIETAC cost comparison.
Read full article →3 fee structures for international trade disputes. Base fee + contingency model explained. Typical contingency percentages and what to watch for in fee agreements.
Read full article →3 scenarios: dissolution, bankruptcy, deregistration to avoid debt. Shareholder liability under 2024 Company Law, asset tracing, creditor claims. Recovery odds.
Read full article →How the 2024 PRC Company Law enables foreign creditors to hold shareholders personally liable. Evidence needed, success cases, and legal strategies.
Read full article →Legal rights at every stage: sample approval, in-line inspection, pre-shipment AQL, post-arrival defect documentation. How Chinese courts handle inspection evidence.
Read full article →China is a CISG signatory. Articles 35/46/49/50 explained for foreign buyers. When CISG applies vs Chinese law. Invoking CISG in CIETAC arbitration.
Read full article →MIC's weaker buyer protection compared to Alibaba. Identifying real companies behind listings. Legal escalation through demand letters, CIETAC, and Chinese courts.
Read full article →Head-to-head comparison: coverage limits, response times, exclusions. Legal options when platform protection fails. CIETAC and Chinese court fallback paths.
Read full article →Textile-specific: fabric variance, dye lot problems, seasonal delivery failures, MOQ bait-and-switch. Documenting defects for Chinese courts and contract clauses.
Read full article →Already received fake electronics? Testing standards, CE/FCC/UL fraud as evidence, how Chinese courts handle component quality disputes. Real recovery amounts.
Read full article →Large equipment deposits, delivery delay penalties, warranty failures, CE marking fraud. Non-conformity documentation and legal recovery strategies for machinery.
Read full article →Power output below spec, micro-cracks, certification fraud. Third-party testing as court evidence. Warranty clauses and real case recovery (AU$84K).
Read full article →Listing suspension from defective products, IP complaints, stranded inventory. Supplier liability for Amazon account damages and legal options.
Read full article →What happens when a supplier breaches your NNN. Proving breach in Chinese court. Available remedies: injunction, damages, criminal complaints.
Read full article →Guangdong manufacturing hub: textiles, electronics, furniture. Local court jurisdictions and why having a Chinese lawyer handle cases locally matters.
Read full article →Electronics hub risks: shell companies, virtual offices. Shenzhen court experience with foreign disputes. Asset preservation success rates.
Read full article →No-contract cash deals, booth-based sellers who vanish. Real company identification. Small claims recovery ($1K-$10K) — when it's worth pursuing legally.
Read full article →Every Chinese supplier has a business license — but most buyers can't read it. Learn to decode the USCC, analyze registered capital, interpret business scope, and spot the 5 red flags visible on every license before you wire money.
Read full article →Many Chinese trading companies claim to be factories. Use these 5 verification methods — business license analysis, satellite maps, pricing logic, live video, and registration certificates — to separate real manufacturers from resellers.
Read full article →A 9-point due diligence checklist covering financial health, UBO tracing, supply chain mapping, on-site verification, and court record searches. For orders over $5,000, these checks are not optional.
Read full article →Shell companies dissolve within months of collecting deposits. Learn the 7 red flags visible on Qichacha — from zero paid-in capital to legal reps controlling multiple dissolved entities — before your money disappears.
Read full article →A purchase order written in English is not a legally enforceable contract in China. Understand what each document means under PRC law, why bilingual contracts are essential, and which clauses Chinese judges actually enforce.
Read full article →Without explicit mold ownership and IP assignment clauses, Chinese law defaults to the manufacturer owning your tooling. These 7 clauses protect your assets, designs, and right to walk away.
Read full article →A Chinese-only contract is legally binding even if you cannot read it. Learn the mandatory clauses, hidden traps, and why a bilingual version reviewed by a PRC lawyer is your only protection.
Read full article →Wire fraud and deposit loss are the #1 complaint from international buyers. Compare payment methods by risk level, learn the 30/70 structure, and see which red flags in payment instructions signal fraud.
Read full article →Trade Assurance has coverage caps, timing windows, and exclusions most buyers don't discover until their claim is denied. Know the fine print before you rely on it as your only protection.
Read full article →Gold Supplier status confirms paid membership — not factory ownership, quality standards, or financial health. Compare what the badge verifies vs what a lawyer background check covers.
Read full article →A beginner-friendly guide covering supplier verification, bilingual contracts, payment protection, pre-shipment inspection, and understanding your legal recourse — before your first order.
Read full article →Counterfeit components — relabeled chips, recycled ICs, fake certifications — cost electronics buyers billions annually. Industry-specific verification, contract clauses, and red flags for component sourcing.
Read full article →Heavy equipment imports face unique risks: installation disputes, warranty enforcement, spare parts obligations, and CE marking fraud. Contract clauses and verification steps specific to machinery buyers.
Read full article →Every hour of delay reduces your chance of recovery. Send us your case details — we'll assess your situation, advise on the best legal strategy, and tell you honestly what your recovery prospects look like. Response within 24 hours.