Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. Foreign individuals and companies can file lawsuits in Chinese courts against Chinese entities. You do not need to be physically present in China. A PRC-licensed attorney handles all filings, evidence submission, and court appearances on your behalf. Chinese law allows full representation by counsel in civil matters. The entire process can be managed remotely.

No. We handle everything in China on your behalf. Court hearings can be attended via video conference where permitted. You never need to physically appear in a Chinese courtroom. All documents, updates, and strategy discussions happen via email and video call. We provide weekly written updates in English.

We work with clients worldwide, with the highest volume from the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Germany, Canada, India, France, and the Netherlands. We provide country-specific guidance pages for major importing nations. All client communications are conducted in English.

Absolutely. All communications are protected by attorney-client privilege under PRC law. Case documents are stored encrypted. We do not share client information with any third party without your explicit consent. See our Privacy Policy for full details.

The strongest cases include: (1) signed contract or purchase order; (2) proof of payment — wire transfer records, bank statements; (3) correspondence showing the dispute — emails, WeChat messages, WhatsApp; (4) evidence of the breach — inspection reports, photos/videos of defective goods, shipping records showing non-delivery; (5) the supplier's full company name and registered address. The more documentation, the better — but even partial evidence is enough for our initial case analysis.

Yes. WeChat messages are routinely admitted as evidence in Chinese civil litigation, provided they can be authenticated. We preserve and notarize WeChat records through China's notary public system (公证) for court submission. Screenshots alone are weaker — we recommend preserving complete chat histories with original metadata. Tips: never delete WeChat conversations with suppliers; export and save them regularly.

No. Chinese courts accept foreign-language contracts with certified Chinese translations. However, contracts without a Chinese version or clear dispute resolution clause are weaker. If you're negotiating a new supplier relationship, we strongly recommend including a bilingual contract with an arbitration clause naming CIETAC or a specific Chinese Intermediate People's Court. We can draft or review supplier contracts before you sign.

We can investigate. Using the phone number, WeChat ID, or email, we search China's business registration database (国家企业信用信息公示系统), trade records, and other public sources to identify the legal entity behind the contact. This is part of our standard case analysis. Even partial information — a phone number, a name, an address — is often enough to trace the company.

Pre-litigation demand letters resolve about 60% of cases within 2-8 weeks after a formal demand letter. Full civil litigation takes 6-12 months from filing to first-instance judgment. Appeals add 3-6 months. Enforcement (asset seizure) takes 1-3 months post-judgment. Total timeline: 4-18 months depending on complexity and whether the defendant chooses to settle. The fastest path: demand letter → settlement. The most common path: demand letter → negotiation → partial settlement.

Step 1 — Case Analysis ($300): We review your evidence and deliver a written assessment within 24 hours: legal basis, recovery probability, recommended strategy, timeline, cost estimate.

Step 2 — Investigation: Pull supplier's official business registration, verify operating status, check litigation history, assess assets.

Step 3 — Demand Letter: Formal legal demand on our firm's letterhead, citing PRC law. ~60% of cases settle here.

Step 4 — Litigation/Arbitration: File in appropriate Chinese court or CIETAC. We handle everything.

Step 5 — Enforcement: Asset freezing, bank garnishment, property attachment.

Limited and slow. China has bilateral judicial assistance treaties with about 39 countries, but practical enforcement of foreign commercial judgments is rare and typically takes 18-24+ months. The US, UK, Canada, and Australia lack effective reciprocal enforcement arrangements with China. Our strong recommendation: file directly in Chinese courts. It's faster, cheaper, and the judgment is immediately enforceable within China.

Yes. Chinese courts allow pre-trial asset preservation (诉前财产保全), including freezing bank accounts, real property, and equipment. You typically need to post a bond of approximately 30% of the amount to be frozen. This is one of our most effective leverage tools — once a factory's primary bank account is frozen, they can't pay workers or suppliers. Settlements often follow within days of an asset freeze.

We charge a $300 fixed fee for initial case analysis. For litigation, we offer both contingency fee arrangements (15-25% of recovered amount) and fixed-fee retainers for predictable budgeting. Chinese court filing fees are calculated as a percentage of the claim: approximately 0.5-2.5%, significantly lower than US or European courts. Example: a $50,000 claim costs about $1,300-$2,000 in court filing fees. We provide a full cost estimate in the case analysis — no surprises.

We recommend a minimum claim of $5,000-10,000 USD. Below this threshold, legal costs may outweigh potential recovery. Our $300 case analysis includes a detailed cost-benefit assessment — if we don't think it's worth pursuing, we'll tell you honestly. Some clients combine multiple smaller claims against the same supplier to reach viable thresholds.

Yes. Under PRC Civil Code Article 584, you can claim: (1) direct losses — the payment itself; (2) lost profits if reasonably foreseeable at contract formation; (3) interest — typically PRC central bank base rate plus 30-50% penalty; (4) legal costs and attorney fees — partially recoverable; and (5) in fraud cases, punitive damages may apply. Our case analysis quantifies your total potential claim amount.

We accept international wire transfers (SWIFT), Wise, PayPal, and major credit cards. Invoices are issued in USD or EUR. For contingency fee arrangements, no upfront payment is required beyond the $300 case analysis fee — we collect our legal fee only from actually recovered funds.

If the defendant doesn't pay voluntarily — and many don't — we apply to the court's enforcement bureau (执行局). They can: freeze and seize bank accounts, garnish accounts receivable, attach and auction real property and equipment, restrict the legal representative's high-consumption activities (禁止高消费 — no flights, no high-speed trains, no hotels), and add the company to China's national defaulters list (失信被执行人名单). Being on this list effectively destroys a company's ability to do business — no loans, no government contracts, no new partnerships.

Across all case types we accept, we achieve partial or full recovery in approximately 93% of cases. Demand letters alone resolve about 60% without litigation. Litigated cases that reach judgment have a success rate exceeding 80%. The key variables: case strength (quality of evidence), asset availability (does the supplier have money to seize?), and how quickly you act. Our $300 case analysis provides an honest, case-specific recovery probability — we don't take cases we believe are unrecoverable.

Some try. But China's business registration system makes truly disappearing difficult. Every registered company has a legal representative (法定代表人) who bears personal liability in fraud cases. We can seek to "pierce the corporate veil" (揭开公司面纱) to hold individual shareholders personally liable when the corporate form is abused. Criminal fraud complaints filed with the Public Security Bureau (PSB) create additional pressure — factory owners face potential detention, which often produces the fastest settlements.

Chinese bankruptcy law recognizes foreign creditors. You can file a claim in Chinese bankruptcy proceedings. However, unsecured trade creditors typically recover only 5-15% in bankruptcy distribution. This is why speed matters — filing before the supplier dissipates assets or enters bankruptcy dramatically improves recovery rates. If bankruptcy is imminent, we prioritize emergency asset preservation measures.

Non-delivery cases are among the strongest legally. If you paid and received nothing, the legal basis is clear breach of contract under PRC Civil Code Article 577. Key requirements: proof of payment and proof you never received the goods. Act fast — the longer you wait, the harder it becomes to trace and freeze assets. About 40% of non-delivery cases resolve at the demand letter stage. See our Non-Delivery Recovery service page for details.

Defective goods claims require quality evidence — third-party inspection reports, photos, lab test results. China recognizes both express warranty (what the contract says) and implied warranty (fitness for intended purpose) under the PRC Civil Code. If the goods are counterfeit, you may also have a criminal complaint avenue through the PSB for trademark infringement. See our Defective Goods Refund service page.

Yes. Deposit disputes are common and generally recoverable. Under PRC law, if the supplier fails to perform, you're entitled to return of the deposit plus potentially double the deposit as liquidated damages (定金罚则). Critical distinction: was the payment classified in the contract as "定金" (contractual deposit with penalty) or "订金" (advance payment without penalty)? The former carries stronger legal rights. See our Deposit Fraud Recovery service page.

If through Alibaba Trade Assurance, file a dispute through their platform first — it's often faster than litigation and has a 15-day resolution timeline. If through a trading company (not a factory), you sue the trading company as the contracting party. We investigate the corporate structure to identify all potential defendants, including the underlying factory if the trading company acted as their agent. Alibaba transactions through non-Trade-Assurance channels are treated as standard commercial disputes.

If the contract specifies CIETAC (China International Economic and Trade Arbitration Commission), that's favorable — CIETAC awards are directly enforceable in Chinese courts with minimal review. If it specifies a foreign body (ICC, SIAC, HKIAC), the award must go through recognition and enforcement proceedings in China, which adds time but is generally reliable under the New York Convention (China is a signatory). We handle all arbitration types.

Submit your case through our contact form. Include: (1) brief description of what happened; (2) amount lost; (3) the Chinese company's name (if known); (4) any contracts or payment records you have. You'll receive a preliminary assessment within 24 hours. If the case has merit, we proceed to the formal $300 case analysis with a detailed written recovery strategy, timeline, and cost estimate. No obligation to proceed beyond the analysis.