Verify a Chinese Company to Avoid Dealing with Dishonest Judgment Debtors
You should verify a Chinese company before entering into a contract to avoid dealing with a dishonest judgment debtor who has lost the capability to perform contracts.
More often than not, you would choose to claim compensation against a Chinese manufacturer who has delivered unqualified products to you and caused you damages.
However, if the manufacturer has been listed as a dishonest judgment debtor by a Chinese court, it’s no use to sue or collect against it. It probably does not have enough assets to compensate you.
A purchaser told us about such an experience recently.
The purchaser entered into a contract in 2021 with a Chinese supplier, who was already listed as a dishonest judgment debtor in 2019.
If the purchaser had verified the Chinese supplier before signing the contract, the purchaser would have identified the risk and avoided dealing with the supplier.
Unfortunately, it was not until the purchaser tried to seek assistance from us that he discovered, through our verification report, that the supplier was a dishonest judgment debtor.
The only thing we could do was to offer our free verification service to the purchaser and tell him about the alert information.
To know what it means if you find out a company is a dishonest judgment debtor, please read our earlier post.
Do you need support in cross-border trade and debt collection? CJO Global's team can provide you with China-related cross-border trade risk management and debt collection services, including: (1) verification and due diligence; (2) trade contracts drafting; and (3) dispute resolution and debt collection. If you need our services, or if you wish to share your story, you can contact our Client Manager Susan Li (susan.li@chinajusticeobserver.com). If you want to know more about CJO Global, please click here. If you want to know more about CJO Global services, please click here. If you wish to read more CJO Global posts, please click here.
Latest Posts on Cross-Border Trade and Debt Collection
- Six Tips for Debt Collection Calls in ChinaIt is not easy to demand payment from the debtor, either to ask the buyer to pay for the goods or to ask the supplier to return the money (in case of a failed transaction).
- How to Combat Counterfeiting on Alibaba, Taobao and Tmall?You can register an intellectual property rights (IPR) complaint account on Alibaba (including Taobao, Tmall, 1688.com and Alibaba.com) and file a complaint against counterfeit products in person or through an agent.
- China Dismisses Applications for Enforcing South Korean Judgments for Lack of JurisdictionIn 2021, due to lack of jurisdiction, a Chinese court in Liaoning Province ruled to dismiss applications for enforcing three South Korean judgments in KRNC v. CHOO KYU SHIK (2021).
- China Introduces New Reciprocity Rules for Enforcing Foreign Judgments, What Does It Mean?It means enforcing foreign judgments in China will not be much harder than that in other foreign judgments friendly countries.
- Five Tips for Small Enterprises to Collect Debts in ChinaIn practice, as an agency specializing in China-related debt collection, we have noticed that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often more likely to get into situations where they are owed money by their Chinese partners.
- What Documents Should I Prepare to Request Taobao to Remove Counterfeit Products?- Anti-Counterfeit in ChinaYou only need to prepare proof of identity, proof of intellectual property rights (IPR) and proof of authorization.
- The First Time Chinese Court Recognizes Singapore Bankruptcy JudgmentIn 2021, Xiamen Maritime Court of China ruled to recognize a Singaporean insolvency order in In re Xihe Holdings Pte. Ltd. et al. (2020), providing an example of how Chinese courts recognize foreign bankruptcy judgments based on the principle of reciprocity.
- How to Prove Your Claim in a Chinese courtIn international trades, many traders do not always use formal contracts when doing business in China. Instead, they use simple purchase orders (POs) and proforma invoices (PIs), which do not cover all the details of the transaction.
- Is It Possible to Collect Debt from China If the Debtor Has Assets There?What do you do as a creditor if you have a winning judgment against your debtor in a country other than the one where the debtor has assets or is located?
- Tax-Paying Credit Ratings: A Clue for Checking Chinese Company StatusIs the Chinese company still in operation? Does it have any business in the last year? Does it have any regular income?
- China Dismisses Application for Enforcing a US Judgment Due to Lack of FinalityFinality matters. In 2020, Wuxi Intermediate People’s Court of China dismissed an application for enforcing a US judgment, due to the lack of finality, in Wuxi Luoshe Printing & Dyeing Co. Ltd. v. Anshan Li et al. (2017).
- 2022 Guide to Enforce Spanish Judgments in ChinaCan I sue Chinese companies in Spain and then enforce an Spanish judgment in China?
- How to Ask Alibaba to Protect Your IP? Complain about Counterfeit Products on Sale – Anti-Counterfeit in ChinaIf you find products infringing your IPR on Taobao, Tmall, 1688.com, AliExpress and Alibaba.com, you can file a complaint with Alibaba and ask Alibaba to remove the product links.
- Why Does the Lawyer Appointed by SINOSURE Ask Me to Pay Even in Case of Chinese Exporter’s Fraud?Have you ever encountered with the situation where the lawyers appointed by China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation (hereinafter referred to as “SINOSURE”) to collect the payment for goods from you?
- The First Time China Recognizes English Judgment, Implementing 2022 Judicial Policy in FullIn March 2022, Shanghai Maritime Court ruled to recognize and enforce an English judgment in Spar Shipping v Grand China Logistics (2018), marking the first time that an English monetary judgment has been enforced in China based on reciprocity.
- News | Webinar on German-China Debt Collection (May 2022)In cooperation with four law firms from China and Germany -Tian Yuan Law Firm, Dentons Beijing, YK Law Germany, and DRES. SCHACHT & KOLLEGEN, CJO GlOBAL organized the webinar ‘German-China Debt Collection: Enforcing Foreign Judgments & Arbitral Awards’ on 27 May 2022.
- 2022 Guide to Enforce Italian Judgments in ChinaCan I sue Chinese companies in Italy and then enforce an Italian judgment in China?
- Can Judgment Creditor’s Successor Apply for Enforcing Foreign Judgments in China?Yes, the Chinese court in Wenzhou, Zhejiang Province, enforced an Italian judgment in 2021, upholding the claim of the judgment creditor’s successor (Ye Aiwen v. Chen Tihu (2019)).
- One minute Guide to Enforce your Judgments in ChinaYes, foreign judgments can be forced in China.
- What Is the Chinese Company Stamp and How to Use It?In China, the official company seal or stamp is a symbol of corporate power.
- How Chinese Courts Ensure Impartiality in Enforcing Foreign Judgments: Ex Ante Internal Approval and Ex Post Filing- Breakthrough for Collecting Judgments in China Series (XI)China published a landmark judicial policy on the enforcement of foreign judgments in 2022. This post addresses the ex ante internal approval and ex post filings – a mechanism designed by China’s Supreme Court to ensure impartiality in enforcing foreign judgments.
- 2022 Guide to Enforce Foreign Judgments in ChinaCan I sue Chinese companies in a district court in California, the U.S., or in Paris, France, and then enforce a judgment in China from those courts?
- Action List for Late Delivery from Chinese SupplierFirstly, these are actions that you can take on your own in the event of a late delivery, in case you want to try to push the supplier to deliver or terminate the deal yourself before seeking professional advice.
- Case Filing, Service of Process and Withdrawal of Application – Breakthrough for Collecting Judgments in China Series (X)China published a landmark judicial policy on the enforcement of foreign judgments in 2022. This post addresses the rules on case filing, service of process and withdrawal of application.
- What Are the Litigation’s Pros and Cons in China?Still undecided whether to bring a lawsuit in China?

Photo by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash