THE CHECKLIST / 01
Do the checks in this order.
The order matters. Product certificates, factory photographs and platform badges are difficult to evaluate until you know the exact legal entity behind them.
Freeze the Chinese legal identity
Ask for the supplier’s full Chinese registered name, 18-character Unified Social Credit Code, business licence and registered address. Keep the English brand or marketplace storefront as a separate alias.
The official registry accepts a company name or Unified Social Credit Code. An English trading name alone is not a stable search key, so do not start the rest of the review until the Chinese identity is fixed.
If this sits inside a formal know-your-supplier policy, know up front which parts of that policy China can actually answer: KYS asks four questions, and only two have public answers here.
Check the current public record
Search the exact identity in China’s National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. Record the query date, matched name and code, registration status, address, business scope and any visible change, abnormal-operation or penalty information relevant to the decision.
The registry itself says its search covers market-entity credit information and accepts a name or Unified Social Credit Code. Availability and displayed fields can change, so save a dated note instead of treating one screen as permanent truth.
Need a dated China-side search? Prepare a public-record check request →
Test the factory claim against the order
Manufacturing, production or processing wording in the registered business scope is a useful first-pass signal. It is not proof that the company operates the site, process or product line quoted to you.
Ask which legal entity will manufacture the goods, where the material production steps occur, and which current documents belong to that entity. A trading company can be a capable supplier. The avoidable risk is an undisclosed or unsupported relationship.
Paste the registered name and business scope into the free indicative tool →
Check the Australian obligations for this product
Company legitimacy does not make a product lawful to import or supply. The Australian Border Force says there is no general importer licence. But some goods need permits; importers also self-assess tariff classification and must meet applicable labelling and other import requirements.
For consumer goods, Product Safety Australia states that importers are suppliers and products must meet any relevant mandatory standard before supply. Biosecurity-sensitive goods must also be checked in BICON for conditions, documents, treatment or permit requirements.
Identify the exact model, materials, intended use and claims before deciding which Australian rule applies. A generic certificate for another model is not order-specific evidence.
Match the seller, invoice and bank beneficiary
Write down the legal entity on the quotation or contract, the entity named on the commercial invoice, the claimed manufacturer and the bank-account beneficiary. If the names differ, pause and ask for a plain written explanation plus evidence of the relationship.
A legitimate group may use a separate export company. The control is not “one name only”. It is that every different name is disclosed, explained and reflected in the documents that allocate responsibility for quality, delay, refund and warranty.
Beneficiary, invoice or bank details do not line up? Use the payment-entity hold checklist →
DECISION TABLE / 02
What evidence should change the decision?
| Question | Minimum useful evidence | Pause or escalate when |
|---|---|---|
| Who is the supplier? | Chinese legal name, Unified Social Credit Code and business licence | Only an English storefront or salesperson name is supplied |
| What is registered now? | Dated official-record match with status, address and scope | The identity does not match or a material record needs explanation |
| Who will make the goods? | Named production entity, site and product-specific process evidence | The entity or site changes when you ask for documents |
| Can the goods be supplied in Australia? | Product-specific standard, permit, labelling and test evidence where applicable | Required evidence is missing, expired or belongs to another model |
| Who receives the money? | Contract, invoice and beneficiary names that match or have a documented relationship | Payment is redirected to an unexplained person or third party |
METHOD / 03
How this guide was prepared
Prepared by Bao L. Zhou (Derrick). I run this desk alone, from Jinan, China. We reviewed the live official pages listed below on 30 July 2026 and separated what each source can establish from what still needs product-specific evidence or an on-site check.
Records reach us through licensed commercial data platforms that republish filings originating in the National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity System. An absence on a platform is not proof of absence in the official record.
We did not inspect the supplier, factory or transaction described by any reader. This guide does not replace legal advice, product testing, an audit or transaction-specific due diligence. Before updating a claim, we re-open the relevant official source and record the review date.
PRIMARY SOURCES / 04
Official sources used for this guide
Links and page content were checked on 30 July 2026. Requirements can change; use the live official page for the specific product and transaction.
| Official host | What buyers use it for | Result (3 of 3) |
|---|---|---|
www.gsxt.gov.cn | Company registry (GSXT) | 521 |
www.creditchina.gov.cn | Penalties, dishonesty lists | 412 |
sbj.cnipa.gov.cn | Trademark office | 403 |
credit.customs.gov.cn | Customs enterprise credit | 412 |
cx.cnca.cn | CCC certification queries | 521 |
wenshu.court.gov.cn | Court judgments | 200 |
zxgk.court.gov.cn | Court enforcement records | 200 (browser UA only) |
openstd.samr.gov.cn | National standards (GB) texts | 200 |
Control: www.gov.cn | Government host | 200 |
Control: www.baidu.com | Commercial host | 200 |
Five of the eight verification hosts would not serve their front page on the test date. While both controls answered normally, so the failures belong to those hosts, not to the connection. This is measured availability on one day, not a permanent verdict: a host that refuses a script today can serve a browser tomorrow. It is also why a checklist that ends at “look it up yourself” can leave a buyer stuck at the first step.
- National Enterprise Credit Information Publicity SystemOfficial Chinese market-entity credit search by name or Unified Social Credit Code. Step-by-step, including what a nil result means: how to search the registry.
- Australian Border Force: Requirements to import goodsImporter permits, classification, labelling, declarations and self-assessment boundaries.
- Product Safety Australia: Product safety standards and how to complyMandatory standards and the inclusion of importers in the supplier definition.
- Department of Agriculture: BICONBiosecurity conditions, supporting documents, treatment and permit checks.
COMMON QUESTIONS / 05
Four distinctions worth keeping clear
- Is an English company name enough?
- No. Ask for the full Chinese legal name and Unified Social Credit Code so the record can be matched reliably.
- Does an active registration mean the supplier is safe?
- No. It confirms a legal identity and visible record at a point in time, not product quality, capacity, delivery or payment safety.
- Is a trading company automatically a red flag?
- No. The important issue is whether its role, manufacturing relationship and contractual responsibility are disclosed and supported.
- Can a company check replace product testing or an audit?
- No. Registry review, product compliance evidence, sample testing and factory or quality audits answer different questions.