01
Risk prevention
Before payment
- Supplier entity and bank-account verification
- Supply contract, NNN and tooling-clause review
- Arbitration clause, payment milestone and inspection design
- Sanctions, UFLPA and country-of-origin first pass
China Supply Chain
Before you pay a Chinese supplier, or after a dispute starts, get a clear legal path.
I help foreign buyers turn supplier problems into a practical sequence: verify the counterparty, preserve evidence, apply pressure, negotiate, arbitrate, or preserve assets when needed.
7 yrs CIETAC institutional experience
400+ commercial arbitration cases
Bilingual Chinese and English case work
You may be stuck in one of these scenarios
Each problem has a different sequence. Identify the scenario first, then decide how much legal cost to deploy.
Non-delivery / delayed delivery
Production keeps slipping, partial shipment stalls, or the supplier asks for a price increase.
Defective goods
The goods arrive with high defect rates, wrong specifications, or inconsistent inspection results.
Deposit recovery
A deposit has been wired, but the supplier refuses to refund or offers only future-order credits.
Supplier disappeared
WeChat goes silent, emails are ignored, and the company status or asset picture starts to look abnormal.
Copied design / weak NDA
The factory uses your drawings, molds, or packaging concept to produce for someone else.
Tooling ownership
You paid for the tooling, but the supplier refuses to return, transfer, or stop using it.
Tariff increase
A new tariff lands mid-order and the parties fight over who absorbs the increase.
UFLPA / sanctions / origin risk
US or EU import compliance, forced-labor screening, and upstream traceability become urgent.
Platform freeze / account dispute
Cross-border e-commerce funds, accounts, platform rules, and supplier liability overlap.
The work does not start with litigation
China supply chain matters usually move in stages. The earlier the intervention, the easier it is to control cost.
Demand Letter
Assess whether a lawyer letter creates leverage before sending it.
Pre-Payment Check
Verify entity, bank account, chop, contract and abnormal-risk signals.
Contract & NNN Review
Review supply, confidentiality, tooling, damages and forum terms.
Evidence Review
Organize payment, messages, inspection, logistics and loss evidence.
Negotiation
Structure refund, replacement, discount, installment and default terms.
Arbitration & Litigation
Assess CIETAC, HKIAC, China court, preservation and enforcement routes.
02
Damage control
First 48 hours
- Evidence map and gap review
- Bilingual demand letter or lawyer letter
- Refund, replacement, discount or installment strategy
- Platform complaint, regulator complaint and local communication plan
03
Arbitration and preservation
Escalation
- CIETAC, HKIAC or China court route assessment
- Pre-arbitration or in-arbitration asset preservation
- Arbitration submissions, evidence and hearing strategy
- Settlement negotiation, award enforcement and cross-border coordination
Why work with me
Supply chain disputes are not just about legal rules. They require judgment across procedure, evidence, commercial pressure, and enforcement.
CIETAC perspective
I spent seven years at CIETAC and understand how cases move from filing to hearings and awards.
400+ case experience
I have worked on complex commercial arbitration matters involving trade, construction, finance and investment.
Bilingual case handling
I work directly with English contracts, Chinese evidence, supplier communications and international clients.
Shenzhen and Greater Bay Area
Based at JT&N Partners in Shenzhen, close to South China manufacturing, Hong Kong arbitration, and cross-border trade.
Start by sizing cost and leverage
If you are still deciding whether the matter is worth legal action, these tools provide a first estimate.
Dispute Cost Calculator
Estimate arbitration fees, legal fees, timeline and key risk factors for a supplier dispute.
Arbitration Cost Comparator
Compare CIETAC, ICC, SIAC and HKIAC fees across different dispute amounts.
Supplier Verification Checklist
Check entity, chop, bank account, contract, inspection and compliance before paying.
Supplier Demand Letter Checklist
Check the supplier identity, payment trail, evidence, and realistic next step before sending a letter.
Existing practical guides
These articles are organized around real buyer problems and create the deeper internal-link path for this topic.
Before payment and contract terms
10 02
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.
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.
Quality, deposits and silence
01 03
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.
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.
Evidence and arbitration
05 04
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.
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.
Design, NNN and tooling
Tariffs and cost allocation
Demand letters, recovery and enforcement
11 13 12
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.
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.
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.
Send the facts. I will help you choose the next move.
A 30-minute triage focuses on facts, evidence, amount, supplier location and enforceability. You should leave knowing whether to negotiate, send a letter, preserve assets, arbitrate, or stop spending.
Get a 30-minute case triage