Practical guidance on contracts, supplier disputes and protecting your business interests in China.
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Kelly Zhang has been appointed to the Core Committee of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) Young Practitioners Group (YPG) for the 2026–2028 term. A short note to mark the occasion, and what I'm looking forward to.
Read articlePaid 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.
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What a foreign company needs to register a trademark in China: who may file, the documents, the eight types of mark, the CNIPA process and deadlines, and how to protect the mark before and after registration.
One full week in October: an October birthday party at JT&N, my first Asia ADR Week in Kuala Lumpur as an AIAC YPG Core Committee member, and two in-house training sessions back in China.
Years with the same Chinese factory and no real contract? How to bring up a written agreement without straining the relationship, and what it needs to cover.
Does an NNN agreement protect your design? Learn why agreed uses matter, how supplier expectations differ, and why factories you never hire still matter.
Learn when an Alibaba supplier should sign an NNN agreement, what you can safely share before signing, what refusal means, and when another contract is better.
Kelly Zhang has been appointed to the Core Committee of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) Young Practitioners Group (YPG) for the 2026–2028 term. A short note to mark the occasion, and what I'm looking forward to.
A practical China manufacturing agreement checklist for custom production: corporate identity verification, statutory inspection clocks, exposure caps, tooling retrieval, and debt enforcement.
What technical files should you share with a Chinese manufacturer before executing an NNN? How to stage disclosure, handle 3D CAD demands, and tie price quotes to drawing versions.
How can a foreign company tell whether a Chinese lawyer can take full responsibility for an SCIA arbitration? This article covers genuine counsel experience, procedural capability, PRC law and Mainland court coordination, service scope, and conflict-check materials.
When an industrial machine bought from China will not run or cannot reach the promised capacity: how to preserve technical evidence, control the repair process, design a local-takeover or price-reduction arrangement, and assess refunds, damages, and formal recovery.
Before using a free NNN agreement template in China, check seven risks involving the parties, protected information, misuse, timing, and enforcement.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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.
A Chinese supplier rejected key contract clauses. Learn which protections are essential, what can be traded, and when refusal makes the deal too risky.
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.
A Chinese supplier changed payment terms after receiving money. Learn how to verify the demand, preserve your position, negotiate safeguards, or exit.
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.
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.
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.
Incoterms allocate shipping, cost, risk, insurance, documents, and customs responsibilities. Learn the basic meaning of FOB, CIF, EXW, and DDP when buying from China.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 are common China manufacturing models. Learn their basic differences and why the labels do not automatically solve design, tooling, brand, and IP ownership issues.
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.
Quality inspection checks goods against agreed specifications and standards. Learn what pre-shipment inspection, AQL sampling, and inspection reports can and cannot prove.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A China NNN agreement protects against disclosure, use, and circumvention before you share designs, samples, molds, pricing, or customer information with a Chinese supplier.
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.
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.
Before signing a China employment contract, check the local entity, probation period, penalty clauses, non-compete terms, salary, work permit support, and termination rules.
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.
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.
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.
How HKIAC arbitration fees work in 2026: registration fee, administrative fee, tribunal fee, hourly rates, ad valorem costs, deposits, fee calculator limits, and the costs buyers often forget.
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.
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.
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.
Five China supplier contract clauses that shape cross-border disputes: arbitration, inspection periods, governing law, liquidated damages, and IP protection.
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.
What to do when a Chinese supplier sends defective or non-conforming goods: preserve evidence, meet notice deadlines, and choose the right remedy.
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.
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.
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