Series: China Supply Chain Disputes
Chinese Supplier Sent Defective Goods: Refund, Replacement, or Compensation?
What to do when a Chinese supplier sends defective or non-conforming goods: preserve evidence, meet notice deadlines, and choose the right remedy.
China Supplier Contract Clauses: 5 Terms That Can Decide a Dispute
Five China supplier contract clauses that shape cross-border disputes: arbitration, inspection periods, governing law, liquidated damages, and IP protection.
Chinese Supplier Went Silent After Your Deposit? How to Recover Money
Paid a deposit to a Chinese factory and now they won't respond? Learn the practical recovery sequence: evidence, formal notice, demand letter, complaints, settlement and arbitration.
China Arbitration vs Litigation for Supplier Disputes: Cost, Time and Enforcement
Compare arbitration and litigation for China supplier disputes: whether an arbitration clause is required, expected cost and timing, award enforcement, and when asset preservation changes the decision.
China Supplier Dispute Evidence Checklist: WeChat, Testing and Inspection Deadlines
Use this China supplier dispute evidence checklist before a demand letter, arbitration, or settlement: preserve WeChat records, inspection notices, third-party testing reports, payment records, and product samples.
Your Supplier Copied Your Design and Is Selling It to Your Competitor
When your Chinese OEM factory uses your CAD files to produce for someone else — NNN agreements, design patents, mold ownership, and what actually works to protect your IP.
Tariffs Jumped 25% Mid-Order — Who Bears the Loss?
Your purchase order was priced before the tariff hike landed. Who pays the new bill at customs — and can anyone get out of the contract? Incoterms, force majeure, and the clause that prevents the next fight.
China Supplier Verification Checklist: 10 Legal Checks Before You Pay
A practical China supplier verification checklist for foreign buyers: confirm the legal entity, business license, company chop, bank account, contract, arbitration clause, inspection terms, and compliance risks before paying a deposit.
When a China Demand Letter Works — And When It Backfires
A demand letter to a Chinese supplier can unlock settlement, or it can destroy leverage. Here is how to decide whether to send one, what it should say, and what should happen next.
Can You Sue a Chinese Supplier from Overseas? Cost, Evidence, Arbitration and Enforcement
Foreign buyers can sue or arbitrate against Chinese suppliers, but the real question is whether the claim can reach the right entity, prove the contract and payment trail, preserve assets, and turn the result into recovery.
Chinese Supplier Refuses to Refund: What Can a Foreign Buyer Do?
When a Chinese supplier refuses to refund, the buyer should first assess the refund claim, evidence, platform route, commercial leverage, and escalation costs before sending a notice, lawyer letter, arbitration, or lawsuit.
Chinese Supplier Raised Price After Deposit: What Can You Do?
A Chinese supplier raised the price after taking your deposit and will not ship. Learn how to check the contract, negotiate safely, or demand a refund.
Recover Money From a Chinese Supplier After a Wire Transfer
Paid a Chinese supplier by T/T? See what a bank recall can do, why wires have no chargeback, and when legal recovery in China is viable.
Can You Cancel an Order with a Chinese Supplier and Get Your Deposit Back?
Paid a deposit but need to cancel a Chinese supplier order? Learn when termination is valid, when the deposit is at risk, and how to send a safe notice.
Chinese Supplier Keeps Delaying Your Order: When Waiting Becomes a Breach
Is your Chinese supplier's late delivery already a breach of contract? Verify production, set one final deadline without waiving rights, and plan your recovery.
Series: HKIAC Arbitration
HKIAC Arbitration Procedure: From Clause Review to Notice of Arbitration
How do you commence HKIAC arbitration after a dispute arises? This guide covers clause and party review, claims, evidence, the Notice of Arbitration, service, arbitrators, deposits, and Mainland interim measures.
Freezing a Mainland Supplier's Assets Before HKIAC Arbitration: Court, Security, Timing, and Evidence
Can an HKIAC claimant seek Mainland asset preservation before or during arbitration? This guide explains eligibility, court selection, the 30-day link, asset leads, security, and evidence.
How to Enforce an HKIAC Arbitral Award in Mainland China
When an HKIAC award remains unpaid, how do you seek recognition and enforcement in Mainland China? This guide covers the two-year period, court, assets, documents, preservation, and refusal grounds.
What to Do After Receiving an HKIAC Notice of Arbitration: Answer, Jurisdiction, and First Deadlines
What should a respondent do in the first 72 hours and 30 days after receiving an HKIAC Notice? This guide covers receipt, the Answer and Defence, jurisdiction, arbitrators, counterclaims, and preservation risk.
Series: China Supplier Contract Review & Negotiation
Is a PI or PO Enough, or Do You Need a Formal Contract with a Chinese Supplier?
A PI, PO, email, or WeChat chain may form a China supplier contract. Learn what already binds, what is missing, and what to fix before payment.
Chinese Supplier Changed Payment Terms After You Paid: How Should You Respond?
A Chinese supplier changed payment terms after receiving money. Learn how to verify the demand, preserve your position, negotiate safeguards, or exit.
Should You Sign the Chinese Supplier’s Contract or Send Your Own?
Compare a Chinese supplier’s contract with your own terms. Learn which draft to use, how conflicting forms work, and how to negotiate one final deal.
Chinese Supplier Refuses Key Contract Clauses: What Is Negotiable and When Should You Walk Away?
A Chinese supplier rejected key contract clauses. Learn which protections are essential, what can be traded, and when refusal makes the deal too risky.
You Paid for the Mold: Does the Chinese Factory Own It?
Paying a Chinese factory for a mold does not answer every ownership question. Learn how title, custody, IP, liens, use, and return should be handled.
Series: China Legal Glossary
Asset Preservation in China: Freeze Supplier Assets Before Arbitration
Asset preservation in China can freeze a supplier's bank account, goods, equity, or other property before or during litigation or arbitration. Learn when foreign buyers should plan preservation before sending a demand letter.
HKIAC Interim Measures in Mainland China: Asset Preservation for Hong Kong Arbitration
The Hong Kong-Mainland Interim Measures Arrangement lets parties in eligible HKIAC and other Hong Kong arbitrations ask Mainland Chinese courts for asset, evidence, or conduct preservation.
What Is CIETAC? Arbitration Clauses for China Supplier Disputes
CIETAC is one of China's leading arbitration institutions. Learn when a CIETAC arbitration clause helps foreign buyers, what the clause should say, and how it compares with HKIAC, SIAC and ICC.
What Is HKIAC? Hong Kong Arbitration for China-Related Disputes
HKIAC is a leading Hong Kong arbitration institution often used in China-related contracts. Learn when HKIAC helps, what the clause should say, how fees work, and why Mainland interim measures matter.
What Is an NNN Agreement in China?
A China NNN agreement protects against disclosure, use, and circumvention before you share designs, samples, molds, pricing, or customer information with a Chinese supplier.
China Company Chop Meaning: Official Seals, Contracts and Supplier Checks
What is a China company chop? Learn what official company seals mean, why they matter for contracts, and what to check before signing or paying a supplier.
WeChat Evidence in China Courts: Why Screenshots Fail and What to Save Instead
Chinese courts accept WeChat messages — but screenshots alone rarely survive challenge. What judges actually check (original device, unbroken chat history, identity proof) and the preservation steps to take before the dispute escalates.
What Is a China Social Credit Code?
A China Unified Social Credit Code is the 18-character identifier on a Chinese business license. Foreign buyers can use it to verify the real supplier before signing or paying.
Liquidated Damages in Chinese Contracts: 违约金 and Civil Code Article 585
Liquidated damages in Chinese contracts are agreed damages for breach. Learn what 违约金 means, how Civil Code Article 585 works, and how to draft supplier, NNN, and settlement clauses that hold up.
What Is a China Business License? The First Supplier Check for Foreign Buyers
A China business license is the starting point for checking a supplier identity. Learn what it proves, what it does not prove, and what to match before payment.
What Is a Chinese Registered Company Name? Why the English Name Is Not Enough
A Chinese supplier English name, store name, or brand name may not be the legal entity. Learn why the registered Chinese name anchors contracts, chops, bank accounts, and claims.
Trading Company vs Factory in China: Why the Difference Matters When Sourcing Goes Wrong
China sourcing often involves trading companies, factories, and export intermediaries. Learn why buyers must separate who signs, who receives payment, who produces, and who is responsible.
What Is a China Purchase Order? How a PO Relates to the Supplier Contract
A purchase order records product, quantity, price, delivery, payment, inspection, and shipping terms in China sourcing. Learn what a PO can do and why a supplier PI is not enough.
What Is a Pro Forma Invoice from a Chinese Supplier? Can a PI Be a Contract?
A pro forma invoice is a common quotation and order document in China sourcing. Learn how a PI differs from a commercial invoice, PO, and contract before payment.
What Are Incoterms? FOB, CIF, EXW and DDP in China Sourcing
Incoterms allocate shipping, cost, risk, insurance, documents, and customs responsibilities. Learn the basic meaning of FOB, CIF, EXW, and DDP when buying from China.
What Is Deposit and Balance Payment in China Sourcing? The 30/70 Risk
Chinese suppliers often ask for deposit plus balance, such as 30/70. Learn why payment milestones should be tied to entity checks, production, inspection, and shipping documents.
What Is Quality Inspection in China? What Pre-Shipment Inspection Can Prove
Quality inspection checks goods against agreed specifications and standards. Learn what pre-shipment inspection, AQL sampling, and inspection reports can and cannot prove.
What Is Product Acceptance in China Sourcing? Why Defect Notice Timing Matters
Product acceptance affects whether the buyer is treated as accepting goods. Learn inspection periods, defect notices, apparent defects, hidden defects, and why acceptance clauses matter.
OEM, ODM and Private Label in China Sourcing: Basic Meanings and Legal Risks
OEM, ODM and private label are common China manufacturing models. Learn their basic differences and why the labels do not automatically solve design, tooling, brand, and IP ownership issues.
Series: Alibaba and China Sourcing Platform Disputes
Alibaba Trade Assurance: The Coverage Gaps That Hit Large Orders
Trade Assurance works until your order gets big: claim windows close, off-platform payments void protection, and customized goods are hard to claim on. Where the gaps are — and the contract, payment, and inspection setup that closes them.
Paid Outside Alibaba and the Supplier Disappeared? Start Here
If you paid a Chinese supplier outside Alibaba and the supplier stopped responding, platform protection may not apply. Here is what to do first, how to preserve evidence, and when a demand letter, police report, or Chinese lawsuit may still help.
Series: Employment Disputes for Foreigners in China
Fired in China? Severance, 2N Compensation and Labor Arbitration for Foreign Employees
Foreign employee fired in China? Learn when termination is illegal, how N, N+1 and 2N compensation work, and how to protect your work permit and labor arbitration claim.
Unpaid Salary in China: Can Foreign Employees File Labor Arbitration?
Foreign employee owed unpaid wages in China? Learn how labor arbitration works, what evidence to prepare, key deadlines, and how salary claims can be handled after leaving China.
China Employment Contract Checklist: Probation, Penalties, Non-Compete
Before signing a China employment contract, check the local entity, probation period, penalty clauses, non-compete terms, salary, work permit support, and termination rules.
China Social Insurance for Foreign Employees: Rules, Exemptions and Refunds
Do foreign employees in China need social insurance? Learn the five schemes, treaty exemptions, contribution bases, pension refunds, and why opt-out agreements are risky.